Destined to be Together
by queenbmia
Summary: ORIGINAL: Two unlikely souls reveal a secret which changes the outcome of their lives. Now, Denise&Domenico must join together as one to pursue love with each other. However, happy endings may not be what they seem. Serafino, Denise's husband, intervenes in hopes of winning Denise's heart again. He's blindness to what's in front of him causes him to stir in the wrong direction.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I don't own the characters.

 **DTBT Chapter 1: Her Perfect Little Life**

It was a sunny day in Portland, Maine. The golden globe in the sky shone heavenly down on Bonnie Bennett Salvatore, a twenty-nine-year-old veterinarian, who had all the things in life that any woman could want.

She had a loving family, a beautiful home, terrific in-laws, her own animal hospital and clinic, and she had been married for seven years to the most perfect man in the world, one Stefan Salvatore. Her husband was a thirty-year-old Marine who currently worked as a detective for the Portland, Maine's police department.

Bonnie's perfect world was slowly collapsing. Her husband was due to be deployed to Afghanistan in three days.

Her fear of her husband's safety wreaked havoc on her nerves the moment he shared the news of him being deployed.

She tried submerging herself into work, but not even the loving animals that she cared for and treated could stop her growing depression. After performing surgery on a little shih tzu that was viciously attacked by a Rottweiler, Bonnie stood in front of her office window, hugging her frame as she gazed out at the day.

"Mrs. Salvatore, Jade is resting comfortably."

"Great." Bonnie slightly smiled after facing her employee.

"You are a miracle worker, Bonnie."

"Oh, I don't know about that," she softly chortle. "Alicia, I have to leave early. My husband's going away party is tonight."

"Oh, yeah. Is his hot brother going to be there? Yum."

Bonnie's head tilted back in amusement. "Yes, Stefan's hot brother will be there."

"How's his cat?"

"Moke, is fine. Damon wanted me to thank you for taking care of him while he was away on business." Bonnie answered as she collected her belongings.

"Well he could have called and thanked me himself. I gave him my number. I'd like for him to take care of my _kitty cat._ If you know what I mean. _"_

Bonnie crumbled her brow, giving Alicia an uncomfortable look. "On that note… I better go. I have lots of things to do before the party."

"Alright, I'll see you next week." Alicia, cringed, and eased uncomfortably out of Bonnie's presence quickly in the face of their awkward exchange.

"Bye Alicia; call me if you need me." Bonnie left the building, her steps heavy, and unconscious of her surroundings. She climbed inside her vehicle and sat behind the wheel, a faraway look in her eyes. She jumped at the sound of an incoming call.

"Shit!" She grabbed her chest, then scrambled to find her phone. She smiled after seeing the caller ID.

"Hey sweetie."

"Hey you. Where are you?"

"I'm leaving work. I'm going to the store to pick up some more things for the party."

"I hope beer is on the list. You know my boys can't party unless their loaded." Stefan laughed.

"Your friends need to enroll in an AA program," she shot back.

"Yeah, you're probably right," he chortled.

"When are you coming home?"

"In a few hours."

"Mm, I want to have pre-party sex with you," she pouted, leaning her head against the window.

"In that case, I'll be home in ten minutes."

"Yay, I love you!"

"I love you more."

"That's impossible," she seductively bit her bottom lip.

"Bye!" Stefan lovely rolled his eyes. He pulled the phone from his ear. He looked down at it, thinking about her last words before preparing to leave work early.

Bonnie's first stop was the liquor store. She grabbed five bottles of Grey goose vodka, and two more twenty-four packs of bud light for Stefan and his marine buddies. Her next stop was the grocery store. She ran around the market in a mad dash, grabbing more bratwurst and ground turkey meat for the grill and some juices for their drinks. After running her errands, she quickly sped home, running a few red lights along the way.

Bonnie and Stefan had a very active sex life. Their bodies were great communicators, but mentally and emotionally, they were two different beasts. She was the suffer in silence type, and Stefan was always willingly open about his feelings.

Even with their extreme differences, they made their relationship work, because at the end of the day, they were married, and they were determined to make their marriage work above all else. They were two perfect people; they were always striving to be good and perfect individuals.

Bonnie burned rubber in to the driveway. She giggled, thrilled when she saw her husband's Ford F-150 in the garage. She speedily hopped out of her Lexus and rushed in to the house.

She ran upstairs to their bedroom. She slowed herself. Love making was something that had to be slow and easy, it was art that didn't need to be rushed. She slipped out of her clothes, entered the bathroom, and then pulled the shower curtain.

Stefan faced her, hungrily clicking his jaw in anticipation of touching her, entering her.

"You want this," he whispered deeply, then slyly smiled.

She stepped into the shower, wrapping her arms around his neck, then gave him a sensual wet kiss.

"Only a little," she tittered.

They washed each other's backs and skated their wet soapy bodies slowly against one another. He picked her up, hiking her up onto his waist, and then backed her up against the shower wall and entered her secret sweetness. He pushed himself into her, shoving off the tube floor to drive deeper into her pussy. No mercy he gave her. They kissed deeply and passionately as he thrust hungrily and slowly into her. A soft moan escaped her lips.

"I don't want to be away from you," he whispered, gazing deep into her amber eyes.

"I don't want you to be away from my either," she answered, holding his longing daze.

He gyrated at an even tempo inside of her, then slightly picked up the pace. He fucked her robustly until his release was upon him. A loud grunt escaped him at the pleasure he felt of his liquid squirting into her warm cavity. They stood glued to the shower wall, his pulsing member still inside her. Her lips curled into a satisfied glint as she swept her hands over his hot, wet skin.

They admired one another before washing and drying each other off. Stefan picked up his naked wife and carried her to the bedroom. He threw her onto the bed. She yelled out happily and let out a hearty laugh as crawled on top of her, nestling himself between her legs. He cradled her against his warm moist body. They kissed each other overpoweringly as he pumped her with vigor.

His head swayed as he rocked his pelvis against her, driving himself deep into her. All the while, Bonnie kept mediating on how it would be months when she and Stefan couldn't make love. He trembled weakly on top of her as he filled her with another bout of his love juice.

"If you weren't so dead set against having children, we could be getting pregnant with your son right now." She squeezed his head into her neck and sweetly kissed his peanut butter cheek.

He collapsed down on top of her, his eyes tightly shut.

"Why would you want to bring a child into this fucked up world?" he asked groggily.

"When people are in love, they have babies," she chided.

"You don't need to have babies to prove you're in love." He roughly rolled off her, swinging a hand over his abdomen and propping his head up with his arm, and adverted her an absurd look.

She looked over at him, a woeful look painted her face.

He grabbed her hand, enfolded it into his, and rushed it from her belly to his. "You're my baby. Baby." He winked, then hurried out of bed.

She sat up on the bed, pushing her knees into her bosom, and tightly hugged herself as sorrow rolled over her skin. She lifted her heavy head to gaze upon. She regarded him as he sifted through the clothes in his draw and begin to get dressed. He jumped into his boxers and jeans, swiveled around to her, smiling. "Come on! We got a party to prepare for. Whew!" he shouted and ran out of the room.

She simply grinned as she wiped away an evading tear.

.o.O.o.

Stefan and Bonnie worked diligently, seasoning up the meat, putting beers on ice and the rest of the meat on the grill. They still had another two hours left before the guest would arrive but luckily their families came by early to help them prepare.

"HEEEEEEY! The party can officially start. I'm here!" Damon bellowed as he entered the house, wearing his stoned washed jeans, a simple white shirt, his fedora, and his favorite ID bracelet given to him by his sister in-law, Bonnie. Damon was a stylish fellow outside of work.

He was an architect who decided to start his own business because he had a hard time taken orders, which cost him a lot of jobs. He had an eye for fine things, and he loved working with his hands. He loved to take the raw elements of earth and make them into fine works of art.

"Damon!" Bonnie shrieked with a gleam in her eye as she rushed into his awaiting arms.

"Mmm, baby girl." He swooped her up into his arms and squeezed her tight, shading his pool blue eyes with his milky eyelids.

"Hey! Hey! Get your hands off my wife. Why do you always have to put your hands on my woman?" Stefan mouthed as he brushed the grilled chicken with barbecue sauce.

Damon gave Bonnie a moist peck on the lips as he placed her gently back on her feet. She rushed back to finish her pea salad, amused by her husband's remark.

"I can't believe you're letting my brother go off to Afghanistan. What the hell Bonnie?" Damon fussed as he leaned against the counter, shaking his head.

"What are you talking about? The government wants him. I can't stop the government Da-mon," she sang.

"What the hell do you mean you can't stop the government? This is unbelievable."

"Hey! Hey!" Jonas shouted, walking into the house hand in hand with Abbie.

"Hey, daddy! Hey mommy!"

"Hey, baby," Abbie greeted her daughter.

"Dad. Mom," Stefan welcomed simply.

"Jonas, my man," Damon shock the man's hand coolly and gave him a one-handed hug. "Abbie," he then gave her an affectionate hug.

The Bennett's and the Salvatore's had become a close and tight nit family over the seven years that their children had been married to each other. Jonas and Giuseppe played golf together every other Sunday and Abbie and Martha had breakfast every Saturday morning at the Original Pancake House. Stefan didn't have a sister for Bonnie to hang out with, but Damon got in touch with his feminine side every now and again to hang out with her when Stefan was called to duty, which is how Damon and Bonnie became so close. Bonnie was the sister that Damon never had, and he dared anyone to hurt her, even his own brother.

"Everything looks good Stefan," Jonas observed.

"Daddy, I'm helping too."

"…and you didn't let me finish pumpkin. Stefan you couldn't have done all of this without my daughter."

They laughed.

"What do you guys need help with?" Damon asked.

"Take these burgers and put them on the grill for me." Stefan handed his brother the plate of patties.

"Come on Bonnie."

"Okay." She covered her salad, then walked outside onto the sun warmed deck with Damon.

"What's up?" Bonnie asked.

"Nothing. What's up with you?" Damon winked, giving her a dreamy-eyed look.

"You asked me out here just to watch you put burgers on the grill," she asked incredulously, placing her hands on her hips.

"I'm not just placing burgers on a grill, sweetheart. I'm giving you an opportunity to watch a master at work," he boasted.

She hooted. "You're so conceited," she sassed.

"You haven't seen me in two weeks! What are you bitching about?"

"You are so needy and full of yourself," she lulled. "Admit that you can't get enough of me." she gave him a confident and sassy look.

He smiled adoringly at her. His piercing blue eyes took a tour of her frame. She bit her lip nervously, feeling weak under his seriously sexy regard.

"You still haven't put those patties on the fire?" Stefan barked.

Damon startled, then went back to tending the food.

Bonnie rushed off, trying to forget the little moment she shared with her brother-in-law.

"Bring me back a beer?" Stefan yelled after her.

She was back with the beer in no time flat. Damon shot her his handsome crooked grin. She bashfully diverted her attention elsewhere.

"Hey, where's my beer?"

"You heard me ask Bon to bring me a beer, and you couldn't think to say, 'Bring me one, too?" Stefan mimicked.

Bonnie looked out at the lawn, reminiscing over the look her brother-in-law gave her as she tuned into his soothing baritone voice as he and his brother bounced silly little insults off each other. "Bon Bon, you want a bear?" his sultry voice chimed as her nick name rolled of his tongue.

Stefan stepped onto the patio, a beer in hand. He handed his brother the bottle, then popped the top off the beer Bonnie had brought him minutes ago. He brought the bottle to his lips to take a sip when Damon snatched it from his grasp.

"What the hell," Stefan hissed.

"Give the lady a drink."

"Ugh." Stefan grunted, irritated, then stomped back inside to get another beer.

They drank their beers in silent when Damon interrupted the moment. "Stefan, your yard looks like shit," he slighted.

"Why, because I don't have a jungle in the middle of my damn yard." Stefan snickered, then took a seat on the steps the deck.

They laughed.

"Just stating facts. Get Bonnie a rose bush or a Goddamn Magnolia tree! Something!"

"Some of us have jobs, Damon. We don't have time to plant rainforest and shit," he replied, then took a big gulp of his drink. "While I'm away," he paused. "I'm putting you in charge of keeping my yard trimmed, and you can even plant a little shrubbery just for kicks and giggles. Cool?"

Damon reflected over his brother's proposal. "Okay," he nodded happily.

"Mmm, I guess I have a gardener," Bonnie coyly smiled as she clanked her bottle triumphantly against Damon's

"You put him up to this, didn't you?" Stefan enquired, looking at Bonnie.

"No, I didn't. The man can't stand white walls, much less a bare yard." She laughed.

Stefan was amused

"Dad! Hey!" Stefan hurried to his feet to greet Giuseppe.

Damon tilted an unsatisfied gaze at his father. "Hey," he greeted dryly.

"Damon, son." He patted his son's back, and he rolled his eyes in response to his father's loving gesture.

"Son, thanks for inviting me to your get together. Do you have all your affairs in order?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Everything is in order," Stefan answered proudly.

"Everything is order but my heart," Bonnie added.

"Aww," Stefan sat his beer on the table, then took her into his arms. He held her snuggly to his chest, combing her hair with his fingers.

"You two are the perfect couple," Giuseppe glowed pridefully at the couple.

Damon took a sip of his beer, his eyes glassed over as he watched them. He blindly went to sit his beer down, knocking it and a plate of meat down onto the ground.

"God! Damon!" Giuseppe snared.

"Shit!" Stefan exclaimed, then rushed to help his brother, and Bonnie, who was there in an instant to help Damon clean up his mess.

"I'm such an idiot," Damon blasted.

"No, you're not. It was an accident," Bonnie assured.

"You didn't mean to drop the meat dodo bird," Stefan teased, then smeared Damon's noise with a patty from the ground.

Damon smiled at his brother, who returned his affections with a goofy grin.

Bonnie gently messaged his shoulder before lovingly placing a hand on his rosy cheek, her hand titillating his senses as his gaze blazed right through her. His hungry, desperate gawk induced her to action. She leaned into him and sweetly kissed his lips. "Don't worry about it," she tentatively pacified.

Bonnie and Stefan gathered up the meat and took it to the kitchen. Giuseppe followed. Damon ineptly got to his feet, grabbing the lawn furniture to steady himself as he looked toward the kitchen. He heard loud laughter and talking coming from the house. He ran his hands over his face, composing himself. He grabbed a beer from the cooler and used the table to pop the top. He gulped down half the beer in one take.

"Damon, look who's here," Stefan announced.

Tank grabbed Damon into a big bear hug and lifted him up and down.

"Hey! Hey!" Damon bellowed, pleadingly.

Tank put Damon down and then grabbed a beer. The rest of Stefan's friends joined them on the deck. Damon took a seat, a stunned look in his eyes. Bonnie came and sat down beside him. "You okay?"

"Sure, if dropping dinner on the ground means you're okay."

They laughed. "Don't worry about dropping the meat, it's not ruined. Mom and dad are washing it off and seasoning it. We're putting that meat back on the grill."

"We'll serve it to the guest," he replied deviously, as he lay his forehead against hers.

The night progressed. Stefan and his friends filled themselves with beer and other various cocktails.

Bonnie and Damon kept themselves occupied with cutesy talk before turning their attention to the melancholy conversation between Stefan and his friends.

"If I die, it better be quick," Stefan howled, his friends mimicked.

"Stefan, you are not going to die," Damon huffed.

"Life isn't promised to anyone," he rebuffed.

"You're worrying, Bonnie." Damon signaled angrily to her.

She forced a smile. She wanted to be brave in this moment, but there was no hiding behind the grave look on her face.

"I want her to be prepared for the worse," Stefan explained and then reached his hand out to clutch hers. She sighed deeply, fighting back her tears.

"Bonnie, there's a chance I might not make it back."

"You will. Okay." She smiled and snuggly gripped his hand. "I have to pee," she broadcasted in a rattled voice.

Damon angrily watched her rush off, retreating to the refuge of the house. "You just don't know when to quit," he glared at Stefan before running off to check on Bonnie.

"Go comfort your girl," Tank advised.

Stefan leaned over, holding tightly to his drink. He shook his head incredulously at the situation created by him, and him alone.

Bonnie ran to the bathroom. She washed her face with cold water, then looked down at her shaky hands. She tried to shake the conversation from her consciousness, but it wouldn't leave her. She knew about the senseless killing currently going on in Afghanistan. The fact that she could lose her husband in any number of ways had not escaped her awareness since the day they were informed of his deployment. She shook her hands erratically, shaking off the rage rising inside her.

"You can do this Bonnie." She whispered to herself with closed eyes.

A soft rap sounded at the door. "I'm almost finished," she yelled out.

"Are you okay?" Damon's voice vibrated against the door.

She opened the door. They shared a serious gape.

Damon barged into the bathroom, taking her immediately into a hug. She didn't instantly give into the embrace. She was still reeling from the somber topic of death that she nearly escaped from moments ago. She absentmindly gave into the moment, allowing herself to be comforted.

"Stefan's not going to die. You have to believe that," he took her by the shoulder, softly trying to shake some sense into her.

She grinned at him. "You're worried about him, too?" she cupped his face in her hands. His confident look vanished in the face of sorrow.

"How do you know me so well?" he asked, amazed.

"You're my best friend silly," she sniggered.

"I better be."

.o.O.o.

Bonnie and Damon joined the others downstairs.

The house was filled with over thirty something guest, leaving Bonnie little time to visit with her husband. She had to be quite the social butterfly this night when all she really wanted to do was take her husband upstairs and make sweet love to him.

Earlier was a prelude to what she really wanted to do with him. She longed to kiss him all over and hold him in her arms, but she knew how important Stefan's friends were to him; this night wasn't about her and her feelings. She had to keep reminding herself of this. Tonight was about her husband and sending him off happy. This party was about her husband making memories to take with him on his journey, a journey that she prayed that he would come back from.

She worked tirelessly, cutting up more fruit, and doing a little picking up around the kitchen so that she wouldn't have a lot to clean up later that night.

"Hey sis," Damon chimed, entering the room.

"Hey," she answered dryly.

He walked over to her, taking her by the shoulders, and began intensely massaging them.

"Mm, that feels nice."

"You're so tense?" his deep voice reverberated her senses.

"I can get use to this," she hummed with satisfaction.

"I have magic hands, at least that's what the ladies tell me," he whispered in her ear.

"Alicia, my assistant has the hots for you. You should ask her out?"

"Ugh," he gave an exaggerated eye roll.

"Why? She's nice."

"She's desperate. I can smell it from a mile away."

"You know, I really worry about you Damon. You're thirty-two years old. You have no girlfriend, no children, and you've never been married."

"Oh, Bon-nie," he sang. "I'm young. There's plenty of time for me to find an old ball and chain."

"You're never going to find Ms. Right if you refer to her as an old ball and chain."

He chuckled lowly, continuing to massage her shoulders.

She sighed loudly, a whipped look on her face.

"Come on," Damon invited.

"To where?"

"Come sit down and enjoy your friends and family." He grabbed his beer and her hand and led her to the living room. Everyone was sitting in the living room engaged in general conversation. There was enough room on the couch for Bonne and Damon to both sit. He sat down first, resting an arm on the back of the couch. She followed, laying against him. He swung his arm around her front, then kissed her on the forehead as she latched onto his forearm.

"Every time I see you, you've got your hands around my woman. Giuseppe, get your son," Stefan joshed, entering the room.

"Stop being jealous baby." Bonnie retorted.

"Scoot over April." Stefan stepped behind the coffee table, gesturing to his friend to move over. He then squeezed between the woman and Bonnie. He kissed her on the lips as he lovingly clutched her knee, miming the words I love you.

.o.O.o.

All the guest had gone home except for Stefan's good friends Justin, Tank, and Jeff. Bonnie cleaned the kitchen while the fellows sat on the deck talking. Their conversation sounded more like a raucous than a friendly chat.

Bonnie could hear the men talking loudly and yelling about their women. She frowned up at some of their comments, then she laughed when they bragged about their trucks and their fast cars, but when their choice of topic became more intense, like about the war, and all the friends that they had lost, she closed the door, shutting out their morbid discussion.

"I can't believe Michael is dead. He was just twenty-three," Tank seriously acknowledged.

"How did he die?" Justin inquired.

"We had different roads in and out of the city and our quadrant was in charge of disabling any IED's we came across to make the roads passable for the rest of our troops. Well, one of the bombs weren't fully disabled, it exploded, took Michael's head clean off," Tank explained somberly.

"Well, it's been fun. Tank. Jeff. Justin. Stefan." Damon held up his bottle, addressing each of them, then finished off his beer before going inside to help Bonnie in the kitchen.

"Come on, stay." Justin pleaded.

"This type of conversation isn't my brother's cup of tea." Stefan sneered.

"We're all going to die one day man. It's a part of life," Tank reminded.

"Yes, I'm aware of that, but we don't have to talk about it… _all… the damn time._ Now-good night." Damon gave his brother a nod before leaving them for good.

"Hey you." Damon shot Bonnie a crooked, sweet grin as he shut the door behind him.

"Hey," she answered tiredly.

"You closed the door on us. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

He looked at her suspiciously, studying her disposition. He put aside the task at hand to help her clean. He emptied the trash, put in a new liner, and started sweeping. She looked at him and smiled.

He never pressured her to divulge what was on her mind. He quietly hovered in the back ground, letting her know he was there. Him being there made her happy.

She blindly scrubbed the large pot in the sink as she watched him finish sweeping the floor. He gazed over her, giving her an affectionate beam before joining her at the sink to help her with the dishes.

"We make a pretty good team you and me." He winked at her as he curled his lip happily into his cheek.

"Yeah, we do," she recognized. They stood, gawking at each other. Bonnie couldn't stand their loving moment. She grabbed the sprayer from the sink, spraying Damon in the face, interrupted their little moment.

He stood motionless as the water splattered across his face. He closed his eyes and pursed his lips together, shielding his mouth and eyes from the jetting water. He opened his eyes and politely grabbed the sprayer from her.

"Don't do something you'll regret," she said nervously, backing carefully away from him.

"Oh, you're going to get it." He tried squirting Bonnie with the water; she made a mad dash around the island. She speedily grabbed a dish rag, swinging it at him in defense. He threw the hose in the sink and took off after her. He grabbed her around the waist and started tickling her.

She screamed and laughed heartily. She turned around in his arms. He was still holding her tightly around the waist. They sobered as his crystal iris stared right through her. Her fiery ambers sent chills up his spine; he swallowed tensely as he held her slender warm body against his, their chest rapidly rising and falling. They stayed in the pose for over two minutes, burning a hole into each other's soul.

She became uncertain under his powerful regard. Butterflies swam violently in her stomach as his warm body pressed even more tightly against hers.

"Wow, that was fun." She pushed him off her and ran to do something, what she didn't know. She searched around the kitchen, finally discovering the mop.

"Yeah," Damon said under his breathe, a bewildered look in his eyes.

After getting the water from up off the floor and the sink, she walked back over to Damon; she couldn't help but be in his orbit. She touched his hand. "Are you thinking about your brother?"

"Yeah, I don't want him to leave," he answered robotically, as if the words coming out of his mouth were the right way to answer her question.

"What are you and Stefan doing tomorrow?"

"We haven't made any plans. I was thinking we should stay at home, spend some time alone," she answered, not obliging him a glance.

"Oh, okay," he answered disappointedly "Maybe, we can all go out on my boat."

"On Nadia? We haven't been out on the water in a long time. Yes, I would love that," she gleamed at the idea.

"Yeah, we should, and we can invite our parents. I can cook us up some shrimp, crab legs, and lobster. I want to spend as much time as I can with Stefan before he leaves."

"I think it's a great idea Damon."

The air was thick with awkwardness.

"What's a great idea?" Stefan asked, stepping into the room unnoticed.

"Damon wants to take us out on Nadia tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah. That's cool Damon. Your gonna make some of your famous crab cakes and that shrimp dish I like so much?"

"For you little brother, anything." Damon smirked.

"Bonnie and I should be through making love around two tomorrow afternoon, so I guess we can all get together around four. Is that okay?" Stefan bragged as he took Bonnie into his arms and placed carnal kisses over her cheeks and down her neck.

"Your brother doesn't need to know all that honey," she warned seriously, trying to break free of his ravenous clutch.

Damon leaned weakly against the counter, looking dreadfully at the doting couple before him. Stefan grinned over at his brother. Damon zoomed him the biggest grin ever. "Four o'clock is great," he struggled to say. He watched them a few moments more before deciding to leave. "I should probably go. I'm sure you two want some time alone," he announced with vagueness.

"Don't go Damon. Let's watch a movie," Bonnie rushed out, breaking free from Stefan's grasp.

"Let him leave. You got me all hot and bothered." Stefan snatched her back up in his arms.

"You're being so rude." She said, but soon she gave into temptation.

"I think I've been scarred for life," Damon gagged at their public display of affection.

Stefan and Bonnie laughed at his reaction to them smooching. "Can you stop fondling each other and walk me to my damn car."

"Wow, someone's in a mood," Stefan observed.

They walked him to his car. Stefan opened the door for his brother. He climbed inside, started the car, and then rolled down the window to say goodbye to them.

"Bye Damon, I love you," Bonnie declared.

"I love you, too," he declared dreamingly, staring at her with a starry-eyed expression.

"Are you going to keep looking at us or are you going home?" Stefan mouthed.

Damon finally drove off, waving at the couple as he drove away.

Stefan and Bonnie went back inside and finished what was left in the kitchen and then turned in for the night. They thought they wanted to make love, but the partying and visiting had zapped them of all their energy.

She cuddled close to close him, rubbing his chest tenderly as they lay in bed.

"If something happens to me, how would you cope?"

She closed her eyes, tensing at the question presented to her.

"Nothing is going to happen to you. You will come home to me, to your parents, and your brother. I'm going to pray every day for your safety."

"Living and dying is a part of life. It doesn't mean God doesn't love us because we lose a loved one or we die. It's fate. We can't fight fate."

"I don't want to think about death. I want to think about you, me, and this beautiful moment right now." She raised up off the bed, looking worriedly down at him.

"We need to prepare for the worse."

"We are prepared for the worse. We prepared when we bought life insurance policies, made wills, and bought burial plots. We don't have to prepare for it by talking about how and when we are going to die every single moment of the day," she argued.

"How come every time I want to talk to you about things that matter to me, you want to push them aside like they don't matter?"

"I do want to talk about the things that matter to you, but I want to keep making memories with you, too. If you were to get on that plane tomorrow and it fell in to the ocean, I don't want my last memory of you to be of us talking about how you were going to die. I want my last memory to be about how we partied, how we laughed, and how we talked with friends. For God sakes!" she jumped out of the bed in a huff.

"I want to talk about this. I want to know if you're going to be okay when or if I should die." He jumped out the bed, following her.

"I don't fucking know how I'm going to cope without you. No one knows how they're going to cope without a love one. It's un-fucking realistic."

"Fuck! There is no fucking communicating with you. You want to live in your fairytale world and pretend like shit can't go wrong. Well, shit goes wrong in battle. People die. People lose their homes. Shit fucking happens!"

"I'm not fucking delusional. I know that shit happens, but I do something about it if it is in my power to do so, but I'm not going to sit around here and keep dwelling about the what ifs. I'm out of here."

"That's great! The minute shit gets real you want to walk away."

"One of us should walk away before the other one says something that they might regret."

"Okay, you stay!" Stefan demanded.

"…and where are you going?"

"To my fucking brother's!"

"Are you coming back? We only have two more nights together."

"I don't know," he said under his breath as he struggled angrily to put on his clothes.

"Please don't go. I love you."

"No Bonnie, you're right. To avoid saying something that the other one will regret, one of us should leave. We need the space." He put on his clothes, then left the house.

Bonnie couldn't cry. She was too upset. She picked up the phone and called Damon.

"Hello," he answered huskily.

"It's me—Bonnie. Stefan and I just had a fight."

"Do you need me to come over?"

"No, Stefan is on his way to you. Will you tell him I love him and for him to please come home. I don't want him to leave and we not make up."

"Sure. Don't worry. Everything will be okay. I'll fix this."

"Thank you, Damon. Why are things always so easy with you?"

"I guess because we aren't married," he joked; she laughed.

"Umph, I made you laugh."

"Yes, you did."

"Don't worry. Stefan is stressed because he's leaving you. He loves you."

"How can I avoid setting him off?"

"Well," he sighed as he sat down, resting back into the couch. "I simply agree with whatever Stefan says. The result of that is, he gets bored, and stops talking."

They laughed.

"So, I should understand what he's going through, and not always look for him to understand me?"

"Exactly. You can't make this war go away. You can't predict what's going to happen, but you can be an ear, and right now, that's what he needs."

"Thank you for being here for me."

"That's what brothers are for."

She smiled. "Will you call me when he leaves?"

"Yes," he paused. "I love you Bonnie." He immediately swallowed.

"I love you too," she replied, massaging her butterflied filled belly. They set on the phone in silence, hearing nothing but digital interference.

"Goodnight," he said, but still he sat there, holding the phone.

"Goodnight," she responded, still holding the phone as well.

"Bonnie," he called out in a panic

"Yes," she said, alerted.

"I thought you hung up." He laughed, relieved.

"Maybe tomorrow, I can come by and take you and Stefan for a ride before we go out on the boat."

"I would love that." She bashfully swept her hair behind her ear.

"Okay. Well, goodnight," he said, again, still unable to hang up.

"Bye Damon," she reiterated, still not able disconnect the call as well.

"Bonnie?" Damon called to her after two minutes had passed.

"Yes."

"Stefan's here."

"Okay, bye." This time she hung up.

Damon looked down at his phone, then at the door, guilt in his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2: Manifest

**A/N:** Copyright Infringement not attended. I don't own these characters, but they are written in my own light, OOC. This is an AU.

 **DTBT Chapter 2: Manifest**

Damon dazed at his phone, ignoring Stefan impatiently ringing his doorbell. "Oh," he said, snapping out of his trance. He zoomed to the front door and opened it for his brother.

Stefan raced his brother a perturbed look, and Damon was looking at him all the while, thinking if he really wanted to tell his brother that Bonnie had informed him that he was coming over? He decided against telling Stefan about her call.

Stefan stood there, tapping his foot peevishly against the concrete. "What the fuck man? Are you going to let me in or what?"

"Shit," Damon chuckled nervously; he stepped aside, allowing his brother entry.

Stefan slant an irritated eye as his brother as he marched inside and then plopped down on the couch. He struggled to get comfy on the boxy sofa. He wiggled about, propped an arm up, and stretched a leg out on the pillows. He glanced over at Damon who was sitting as still as a statue with his hands linked between his gapped legs, giving him a distracted regard.

Stefan jumped up off the large, white leather sofa, stalked over to the entertainment unit, and grabbed a novelty of the shelf. He scrutinized over the curio before he placed it elsewhere but the place he grabbed it from.

"Stefan, is there a reason you're here?" Damon hopped to his feet, vexed. He angrily grabbed the figurine and placed it perfectly back where it belonged. He eased away from the object, surveying its placement. He curved his mouth smugly.

"Bonnie makes me so fucking angry! It's okay to talk about her shit, but when I need a shoulder to lean on, she wants to bail. Typical! Fucking typical!" he nagged. He looked at his brother go back to the couch, strongly messaging his neck.

"Hey, you got anything to drink?" He drew in a long breath, exasperated.

"I have beer and water," Damon rose slowly to his feet.

"You don't have anything stronger?" Stefan wrinkled his brow and chuckled galling.

"You don't need anything stronger, because your ass is going home to Bonnie," Damon said with a roll of his eye. He took two brewski's from the fridge and slammed the icebox door with a kick of his foot.

He went back to the living room, mulling over what to say to his brother. He didn't want Stefan to leave on bad terms with his wife, but more importantly, he couldn't bear the thought of Bonnie's heart being broken.

Stefan hadn't said another word since his angry outburst earlier, and Damon was still contemplating on what to say. Never had he noticed how he dragged his feet, until this moment when he became extremely bothered with his black slippers, clapping against the hard wood floor of his condo. Even the filtration system in the aquarium unnerved him when so many times before it calmed him.

He handed his brother the beer. They dropped down to the sofa in a synchronized motion.

"I'm waiting," Damon shot.

"If you're in a mood, I can go somewhere else," Stefan jabbed.

Damon sighed, trying to get rid of the chip he was currently wearing on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry. Tell me what happened," he encouraged, then took a sip of his beer.

"Bonnie doesn't get me," he inhaled. "Sometimes I wonder why I even stay in this marriage." He looked down at his wedding ring with unfocussed eyes.

Damon's brow wrinkled, his interest piqued. "What the hell are you saying? Bonnie's amazing." His words wandered off.

Stefan sighed. "You don't think I know that?" He slammed his beer down on the table, forgetting the coaster that begged to be used. "I'm tired of arguing with her. Why can't I express what I'm feeling without her looking at me like I'm the bad guy?"

"I don't know man," Damon was preoccupied with trying to save his coffee table from the sweating beer. "She is there for you, but right now, she doesn't want to think about losing you. Can't you understand that." He slouched back into the sofa. "Hell—I don't want to think about what could happen over there. What's wrong with her trying to live in the moment? What's wrong with her trying to create all the happy memories she can with you?"

"Nothing." Stefan mumbled. "I want to prepare her for the worse. I know it will devastate her if something happens to me. I want to know how she'll cope without me."

"God, you're fucking morbid." Damon's face twisted cynically at his brother's comment. "You mean to tell me—you rather talk about how much pain she's going to be in, rather than make sweet love to her?"

A discerning look painted Stefan's face. He laughed madly once his brother's words reached his logical senses. "Oh, my, God, that sounds so bad when it's said aloud."

He laughed a lot louder. Damon too became amused.

"You know how the hell Bonnie feels. You see her sulking around the house; you know she's sad, and it's your duty as her husband to let her know that everything is going to be okay. Even though you know you may die, you can't drill those kinds of depressing thoughts in her head, it's not healthy. You can't do that her. She doesn't deserve that," he expressed hilariously.

They sat engrossed over how stupid Stefan was being for a spell and drank their beers. The cat had jumped in Damon's lap. He softly rubbed his kitty, a peaceful look in his eyes, and a curl on his lips.

"I don't want to die Damon." Stefan's eyes watered, his legs stretched out before him. His beer dropped to the side of him, leaning dangerously close to spilling on the sofa.

The peaceful look in Damon's eyes had gone. His baby blues were laced with reddish irritation from the salty tears swimming in his eyes. Not once did he glance down at the bottle of beer practically laying on the pristine couch, coming close to wasting.

"I don't want to leave Bonnie. My friends," he diverted his gaze to his brother. I don't want to leave you."

"You're not going to die Stefan," Damon dreadfully dragged out.

"How do you know?"

"Because I know everything." They looked deep into each other eyes.

That filtration system was louder than ever now, insanely loud.

Stefan simply smirked, chuckled, and then full on spilt his sides laughing. He raised up off the couch, cackling and slobbering all over himself. "You know everything, that's hilarious. Man, you're funny," he snickered.

Damon was not laughing. He sat in the corner of the couch, in shock, paralyzed from their conversation.

Stefan went into the kitchen and grabbed another beer. He drank most of his beer when suddenly he felt the urge to relieve himself. Instead of opening the door to the bathroom, he entered Damon's office. Determined to leave and find the bathroom, his attention was grabbed by blueprints laying on top of Damon's desk.

He ran back to the living room, blueprints in hand. "Damon, your building a house?"

Damon looked up at his brother's childlike face and peeled himself from his melancholy mood.

"Oh, yeah," he cleared his throat. He walked over to his brother, taking the blueprints in hand, and then spread them out on the table.

"This is the bathroom?" Stefan slapped his finger down on the paper.

Damon gave him a serious eyeroll before answering, "It's a kitchen sink, that's a toilet," he rudely corrected, with a hard jab of his finger.

"Oops. I have to pee." Stefan ran off.

Damon shook his head at his brother when he spied the empty bottle of beer and the beer Stefan had recently opened sitting on the counter.

"How's work?" Stefan asked, rushing back to him.

"Work is great, but your housekeeping skills—not so much," Damon scolded with a severe glare as he blindly poured out the rest of his beer.

"Hey! I just opened that!" Stefan strongly protested.

"You get one more drink. A cup of coffee, and yes, work is fantastic when you're your own boss."

"Yeah, I hear ya. Now show me your blueprints."

They went back to the table and went over his drawings with his brother. This time Stefan was more educated on what he saw on the plans. He clearly saw the difference in the toilet and the kitchen sink. His brother still couldn't resist putting him in the headlock and given him a series of noogies as punishment for his innocent blunder.

"Since you and Bonnie are clearly on the outs, and I'm pretty sure you won't be getting any around noon tomorrow, or any other time for that matter," he teased a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Psst, please. I have Bonnie wrapped around my little finger. If I want it, I can have it," Stefan bragged.

Damon gave him a nasty scan, then let out an indignant diss, "Fu—, you," he wavered through tight lips.

"What?" Stefan shrugged and let out a blameless chortle. "I don't mean it in a bad way. I simply mean—she loves me. She's not going to send me off without a proper goodbye."

"Don't disrespect her. She's your wife—Stefan. She's not some bitch off the streets."

"Oh, my God. What is it with you two? You're always so protective of her. What about me? I'm your brother."

Damon slammed the cabinet door after pulling out a bag of coffee. He filled the canister, still giving his brother a dirty look.

"Dude, I'm sorry. Now tell me about your plans tomorrow."

"I bought some land to build my house. I want you and Bonnie to see it and some of the buildings around town I had a hand in making," Damon explained reservedly.

"Yeah sure; we'd love to go riding with you. I can't believe you're building your own home?"

"Yeah." Damon grabbed two cups and poured them some coffee.

"Do you have one of those mini scale versions of the house with little toy cars and shit?" Stefan joked. He managed to get a laugh out of his brother.

"Actually, I do have a little model house," Damon chuckled.

"Oh, let me see it!"

Damon brought out the model of his home and sat it on the table. Stefan couldn't get enough of playing with the scaled house. He even stole him another beer, much to his brother's displeasure.

Damon managed to get another cup of coffee in his brother. Stefan drank his cup of joe while they reminisced over old times and discussed their goals and ideas for the future.

Stefan talked himself to exhaustion. "Man, I'm tired."

They raised up off the couch, yawning and stretching.

I better go home to the old ball and chain."

"Hey," Damon warned with a thinning of his eyes.

"All right! All right! I'm joking."

"Bring it in." Damon opened his arms, inviting his brother into a squeeze.

"I love you man," Stefan professed.

"I love you, too, hero hair. Now go home and tell—no, not just tell, show Bonnie how much you love her. Paint her toes; give her a back rub; feed her strawberries."

"I got it. I got it. Be her work horse," Stefan replied, breaking away from him.

Damon grabbed him by the collar and pulled him coarsely back to him. "This is not a game Stefan. You need to be doing this shit for her every night, and every day," he strongly enunciated.

They eyed each other seriously. Stefan's cockiness eased. "All right, man. I'll do better. I promise. Don't worry. I got this," he reassured.

"All right. Now get the fuck outta my house," Damon joshed, shoving him towards the door.

Stefan snickered.

Damon walked his brother to the car and said goodbye. He came back inside, did a little cleaning before locking the house up for the night. He dragged himself to his bedroom, not turning on the lights, and wearing a smile on his face. He lethargically dropped down on the mattress, resting an arm on his forehead. He turned on his side to see his phone on the nightstand and decided to call Bonnie.

"Damon, hey. What happened?" She answered on the first ring.

"Stefan's on his way home. He's ready to make up with you," he gloated.

"You're my angel. Thank you for being here for me—for always being here for me," she said gratefully, blushing.

Damon's blues sparkled with happiness. "I love it when you're happy," he noticed.

"Why wouldn't I be. I have a wonderful brother-in-law."

"Yeah, I'm the brother-in-law," he replied disappointedly.

"Stop it. You're like blood to me," she wandered off in contemplation. "If only I had met you first," she exhaled heavily.

Damon quickly sat up on the bed. "You'd—you'd—you'd date me?"

Bonnie widened and narrowed her eyes, appalled. "I mean—yeah, sure I would. Any girl would be lucky to have you or your brother," she stammered.

"Duh, I knew that. Besides, you're not even my type," Damon fumbled.

"Oh, okay," Bonnie plunged down in to the recliner, then looked in the mirror. She straightened her hair and scrutinized over her features. "Well, I better go. Stefan should be here in a minute," she replied dimly.

"Bonnie!" he called dramatically and swiftly stood. "I told Stefan you're an amazing girl and that he needs to make things right with you."

She beamed. "You did?"

"Yeah, it's the truth, right?"

"I guess."

"No need to guess. You're a great girl. Any guy would be lucky to have you. No, not lucky. Blessed."

"Thank you, Damon. You always know what to say. You always know how to make me feel better," she said, her voice unsteady.

"I'm not just saying this. I mean every word."

"I know. You'd never lie to me. That's why you're more than just a brother to me."

Damon reddened with happiness. "Good, I'm glad to hear you say that," he respired.

A pleasant quietness fell over them.

"I have a full day lined up for us tomorrow," Damon interrupted. He didn't want their conversation to end.

"Oh, yeah. What do you have planned?"

"It's a surprise," he answered cockily.

"Oh, I like surprises."

"I know."

"Mmm, you say that as if you know me," she said naughtily.

Damon walked to his bedroom window and beheld the darkness of the beautiful night sky that revealed each star.

Across town, Bonnie was now looking out her window, too.

"I know you Bonnie. I know you more than you know yourself," he said in a thoughtful and deepened voice.

Bonnie's southern region tingled with pleasure at the sound of his voice.

"Things are so easy with you. I wish I had this with Stefan. You know?" She rubbed her arm, warming it from the cool room.

"If you had this with Stefan, then what would you have with me?" he inquired amorously.

She twitched tensely, "I better go. Stefan's here," she lied.

"Yeah, you better go, and be with my brother." He hushed, pondering. "You're my brother's girl."

Bonnie ignored his reflection.

"Bye, Damon."

"Bye, Bonnie."

They both stood inactive, still on the phone, looking out the window.

"Damon."

"Yeah."

"You didn't hang up!"

"No, you didn't hang up," he toyed. "Remember the last time we hung out, it was a month ago yesterday. You accompanied me to the Jazz Fest on the port. Then later we came back to my place and watched corny scifi movies?" he gurgled in recollection.

"Yes; we had a nice time. Why do you mention this?" Curiosity gleamed in her eyes.

"Promise me you won't be a stranger after my brother goes away. I don't know what I'll do without our outings. I love spending time with you," he remembered wantonly.

"I'd like to think we'd hang out more. Somebodies got to keep you in line while your brother's away."

Damon's lips furled into a crooked slant, amused by her remark.

"I better go, Damon."

"Okay, Goodnight Bon Bon."

"Goodnight," she replied.

"I love you, Bonnie," he professed tenderly.

His declaration was gob smacking, flooring her for the first time.

"I love you!" she rushed out in the hopes that he would hear her.

Damon's heart skipped a beat. "You'd think this was the first time you told me you love me."

They laughed tensely.

"I know right," she tittered skittishly. "I really have to go Damon." She hung up the phone and tossed it on the dresser. She pressed a hand to her throat, alarmed by their encounter.

Damon looked down at his phone, surprised to hear nothing. He looked at it in a trance a moment more before laying his phone carefully down on his nightstand. His heavy body floated down to the bed. HeHehe He sat there for a moment, his expression a mixture of euphoria and distress. He sprawled across the mattress, "Oh, God," he inhaled. "Bonnie's married to my brother."

.o.O.o.

Bonnie hurriedly threw the covers over herself and closed her eyes. She heard the alarm beep; Stefan was entering the house. He rushed upstairs. He reached for the light switch but decided against turning it on once seeing Bonnie laying perfectly still in bed. He hurriedly pulled off his clothes, leaving them in the middle of the floor, and then eased in to bed. He scooted close to Bonnie and gently thread his arm through hers to cuddle her closer to him.

"You awake?" He asked gruffly.

"Yes," she replied somberly as she slowly opened her eyes.

"I'm sorry I stormed out. I should have stayed and tried to work things out with you."

"It's okay Stefan. You did the right thing. We were both angry; we needed the space."

"I love you Bonnie, and tomorrow…I want to make nothing but sweet memories with you."

"You mean that?"

"Yes." Stefan answered.

They lay in silence. Bonnie still trying to process her earlier conversation with Damon.

"Stefan."

"Yeah," he answered.

"Do you think us being together is a mistake?"

Stefan was stunned by her question. He raised up, propping himself up with his elbow and looked down at her, then turned her gaze to his.

"I know I don't make things easy, but we're not a mistake. I love you Bonnie, so much. You are everything to me. I want to make this work. Do you?"

"I do care about you Stefan, and I'd like us to work things out, but we always fight. I'm tired of fighting."

"Bonnie, a marriage is not without its troubles. I love you and you love me. If we have love, we can make this work," he refuted.

She observed him in thought. "I do love you."

"Will you wait for me?" he asked concerned.

"Oh, so now you think you're coming home?" she pestered.

He howled at her retort.

"Yes! Mrs. Thing, I'm coming home—to you. I'll be damn if I'm going to die without making it right with my baby," he proclaimed affectionately.

"You better." She gave him a long wet chaste kiss to the lips.

"Do you really feel like sleeping?" He trailed his fingers down her tight tummy to her southern valley and slipped a digit into her wet slit.

"No." She hummed with pleasure and spread her legs wider as he worked his middle digit deeper into her slippery center and deeply kissed her. They ended the night making love after all.

.o.O.o.

Stefan and Bonnie were up early the next morning. They could no longer ignore Damon's wake up calls. He wanted to get the day started early. He wanted to have them all out on the boat before sundown.

Bonnie made a big breakfast of omelets, beacon, and toast. She wanted Stefan's last day at home to be filled with all the things he loved.

"Do you want orange juice or apple juice?" She asked.

"Surprise me." Stefan grinned.

"Here's your coffee, your breakfast, and one orange juice coming up." Bonnie placed his food down on the table in front of him. She kissed him on the forehead while running her fingers through his golden-brown hair.

"Mmm," Stefan lemented at the taste of her lips.

She rushed to the fridge once hearing someone fiddling with the doorknob.

"Hey. What smells so good?" Damon chimed.

Bonnie stuck her whole head in to the fridge, trying to avoid him.

"Morning. Bonnie made my favorite—omelets and pancakes," Stefan loudly announced, thrilled.

Bonnie remained silent.

Damon pulled off his shades. His glance flickered toward her beautiful shapely legs. He guiltily adverted his contemplation ahead. He grabbed the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut, and gathered his senses. "Hi Bonnie." His eyes darted as he tried to avoid gawking at his sister-in-law.

"Hi Damon," she replied under her breathe, denying him a glance.

He walked to the kitchen counter, noticing two omelets on a plate. He peeped over at Stefan who was already eating, so he assumed the other one was for him.

He washed his hands, then grabbed a plate from the cupboard. He was about to put an omelet on his plate when he noticed her out the corner of his eye.

"May I have one?" He looked over at her.

"Sure, I made it for you." She still didn't afford him a glimpse.

He nudged her with his hip, to get her consideration. "May I have a pancake, too?" He flashed her a smoldering glance.

"You know you can Damon." She finally rewarded him with her shimmery emerald headlights. She fixed her plate, then sat down at the table next to Stefan.

Damon hung around waiting for her to sit. He scooped down in to the chair next to her, scooting his chair closer to her before finally digging in to breakfast.

They ate quietly, enjoying their meal. Bonnie folded her feet under her bottom. "Excuse me," she said after her thigh landed smack dab down onto his lap. His eyes widened at the exchange.

Stefan was laughing at something on his phone, oblivious to his surroundings.

"You're warm," Damon acknowledge with rosy red cheeks and a goofy grin.

"That's because I'm hot," she flirted.

"…and I'm bothered," he murmured. She bit down on a giggle.

Damon rested his hand on her naked leg and said, "This is a great omelet."

She looked down at his hand, touching her flesh.

"I'm sorry," he stated, shamefaced, and snatched his hand away.

"It's okay." She took his hand and placed it back on her leg, smiling at him all the while.

He awkwardly continued to eat as his left hand lay stubbornly on her thigh. Innocently his fingers traced her warm skin as he engaged in humble conversation with his brother about sports. She started picking over her food, not moving a muscle otherwise.

Stefan and Damon finished their food and got about their business.

"Time to show the porcelain God who is boss," Stefan shared.

"T M I," Damon replied nonchalantly as he cleared the table.

Bonnie sat at the table, her forehead resting against the palm of her hands, her eyes closed. Guilt had settled into her. She didn't understand why she would allow herself to flirt so shamelessly with her brother-in-law, and in front of her husband no less.

"How did things go with my brother last night?" he asked, tensing up, and inattentively doing the dishes.

"Damon, you don't need to do the dishes." Bonnie whipped a wary expression his way and ignored his question. She got up from the table, placed her plate in the microwave, and turned to exit the kitchen.

"Bonnie, hey? You okay?" His full attention was now on her.

"Yeah," she answered with her back to him.

"Unf." Damon lightly chuckled. "I sense a little attitude."

"I was in the middle of something, it's not always about you."

Damon sent her a wounded look. "Ouch."

"What?" she shrugged.

"I never said it was about me. What's up with you? Last night you said you loved me, and we just had a little moment at the table, and now you're pissed with me."

She cut her eyes at him sheepishly, then walked over to him. "I do love you Damon," she proclaimed weakly, plunging her hand down in to the soapy dishwater to take his. "Sorry."

"It's okay," he smiled. "…but if you ever treat me this way, again, I'll put you over my knee and give you a good spanking."

"You promise?" she seduced. Her words encouraged a long and yearning gawk between them. Their bodies seem to have a mind of their own as they begin to loom closer to each other.

"I'm ready!" Stefan loudly broadcasted, as he jogged down the steps, and descended promptly in to the kitchen.

Bonnie whirled around, shrieking in horror.

"Damn. Am I a ghost?" Stefan mocked.

Bonnie swiftly stomped over to him, "Shut up," she sassed rudely, rolling her eyes at him.

Damon put his attention coolly back on doing the dishes, wearing a devilish grin on his face.

.o.O.o.

Damon had just finished cleaning the kitchen. He grabbed the barstool to take a seat when he caught Bonnie coming down the stairs fully dressed and ready to go. His eyes widened big as saucers, seeing her in her too short shorts that needed a suspender contraption to prevent her derriere from becoming wholly exposed.

Her jean shorts went perfectly with her white t-shirt with urban graphics, her black choker, and her black booties. She slipped on her shades, tossed her hair over her shoulder with one swift move, and struck a pose.

"How do I look?" She asked.

"Smoking hot. I'm going to eat you up." Stefan swooped her up in his arms and start kissing her. He trailed sensual, greedy kisses down her slender neck.

Bonnie glanced over at Damon, wearing a distraught look.

He tried to force a smile once catching her eye.

"Okay, Stefan, that's enough," she cautioned.

Stefan didn't stop. He was practically trying to rip off her clothes.

"I said stop!" she scolded meanly, then jerked brutally from his clutch.

"Hey. What's up? Isn't this what you wanted, for us to enjoy our short time together?" Stefan pleaded contritely.

Bonnie was in an angry disposition. She heatedly fixed her wardrobe and straightened her hair.

"Hey," Stefan timidly took her hand. "What did I do?" he asked, his face muddled, and brow furrowed.

Damon watched them with a worried observation.

"Your brother doesn't need to see our public display of affection," she mouthed.

"He doesn't care about this shit!"

"Well I do Stefan!"

"Oh, my God. Give me a break," he jabbed.

"Don't be so insensitive," she snarled.

"Don't be such a snob!" he blasted.

"Hey! What the hell! Come on now. This is your last day together. Please," Damon interjected.

He took Bonnie by the hands, giving her an imploring look. He massaged the back of her hands with the pads of his thumbs. Tears shimmered in her eyes as she dreamed up at his milky, beautiful face.

"Please B, for me."

Stefan eyes darted curiously back and forth between them.

Damon gently brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear with his finger. She nibbled on her bottom lip, then looked over at a sad face Stefan. In a blink, she lunged into his arms, and gave him a deep, carnal kiss. Damon pushed the lump down in his throat, looking at them with a disbelieving gape.

"Damn baby," Stefan whispered after putting her down on the floor. "Where did that come from?"

Her eyes cut to Damon, then back to Stefan, entering a lustful eyeball.

Damon tensed up; his lips flattened. "That's enough lovebirds. Let's go," he commanded, pulling them apart. He shoved them out the door, barely allowing Bonnie to grab her purse.

He waited for them to make it down the walkway before shutting himself inside the house. He closed the door, fell back against it, and then slid down to the floor, devastation splattered across his flushed face.

"Damn! What's taking him so long? It's hot out here." Stefan specified. "Let me see what he's doing."

"No!" Bonnie called after him, stopping him in his tracks. "He's coming. He's probably using the bathroom," she said faintly.

"Whatever," Stefan replied coolly. He walked back to the truck and casually leaned against the hood.

Damon remained shut inside the house for over ten minutes, sitting solemnly by the door.

Bonnie start walking toward the house when Damon came out smiling and all peppy.

"Whew, sorry about that." He rubbed his belly. "Let's go!"

Bonnie crumpled her brow suspiciously at home.

Damon hopped in the truck and started it up. Stefan insisted that Bonnie sit in the front with Damon.

They pulled off. They rode with an awkward silence brewing between them. Stefan was the only one engaged in something entertaining, his phone.

Bonnie pulled out her cellphone and plugged it into the aux port. She put on Usher's, 'You make me wanna.'

"No! Can't you put on the Beatles or Metallica," Stefan grumbled.

"No!" Damon frowned. "Keep it there, B." He winked at her. She giggled.

"I should have brought my headphones," Stefan complained.

"Where are you taken us?" Bonnie asked.

"Just sit back and enjoy the ride," Damon replied.

As the rode in silence, listening to the music, Bonnie rested her arm on the armrest next to Damon's. His eyes left the road to peep down at her naked skin, touching his. Their fingers instinctively interlocked. No bump in the road could jar their appendages loose.

"You're driving a little rough up there. You need me to drive?" Stefan joked.

"Please," Damon grinned.

Damon arrived at the first building he wanted to show them. He took them by every site that his construction company had built and that he had designed. Bonnie was impressed at how much he had accomplished in the little time that he had owned his own business.

"Now for the big surprise," he announced, speeding around a winding road, and coming upon a large acre of land where a wooden frame edifice sat on a concrete slab.

"Omigod! Don't tell me you're building a house?" Bonnie gasp.

Damon turned a prideful and elated expression her way. Her jaw dropped in amazement.

Damon brought his Chevy to an abrupt stop in the unmanicured yard. Bonnie sprang excitedly from the truck. Stefan was grinning from ear to ear as he suavely exited the vehicle. Damon coolly, opened the door to the bed of his truck and took out the model of his dream house.

"Damon, what is this? It's so cute." Bonnie was tickled pink over the miniature house.

"Cute is not the word I was going for B," he chuckled.

"Great piece of land you got here bro." Stefan flattered over the property, examining it with a vigilant eye.

"I'm so proud of you Damon." Bonnie observed the scenery before her with a glittery mien.

Damon smiled humbly over at her.

Bonnie walked over to Stefan who was roaming about the structure. "Looks like this place is going to have lots of windows. I love natural light," Stefan noticed. "I do, too," she added.

"Damon you should build this house for us instead of yourself. It's not like you're ever going to get married and have a family," Stefan mocked.

"Stefan." Bonnie warned.

"For your information, I do plan on getting married and having children," he sternly enlightened.

"Oh yeah, with who? Dude you don't even date, and when you do meet a great girl, you find something wrong with her, and then kick her to the curb."

"I don't," Damon defended.

"Damon, you've had a lot of girlfriends," Bonnie asserted her expression hardening.

A muscle in his jaw clenched; his pupils flared with anger.

"You're going to die old and alone. I can see you now, driving down the street in your drop top Beamer at seventy years old, trying to pick up twenty-year-old girls." Stefan burst into a fit of laughter.

"Stefan don't." Remorse dawned on Bonnie's face.

I'm only kidding."

"I know—but stop," she added.

"Okay. Okay." Stefan sobered, then took Bonnie's hand, leading her off the slab. He jumped down onto the ground, then held his arms out to help her down. They then walked around the property.

Damon flayed them with a daze of his blues as they took a turn about the yard. He stiffened as he powerfully clenched his fist and ground his strong jaw. Soon he exploded with rage; he snatched up his model house and broke it across his knee. He threw it to the ground and stomped the wooden pieces to splinters.

Bonnie and Stefan startled at hearing wood snapping brutally off in the distance.

"Damon!" Bonnie yelled out with bated breath. She took off to him. Stefan followed.

Damon had broken up the scaled house, leaving it scattered across the concrete slab in shards. He was now stomping off to his truck. He jumped inside and start punching the steering wheel. Bonnie leapt in to the front seat, and Stefan ran to Damon's side.

"Damon, I'm sorry! I was only joking!" Stefan professed remorsefully.

"We're sorry Damon. We love you. We'd never intentionally hurt you." Bonnie lovingly and intently rubbed his shoulder and stroked his thigh. He looked at her hand stroking him. Awe transformed his face.

"Fuck! Fuck!" He beat his head against the head rest, then facepalmed.

"Damon," Bonnie whispered, lightly brushing the back of his hands.

He focused on her lips, then let out a harsh breath, releasing his frustration.

"I can't believe I just did that. I should've never lost my cool like that."

"You only lost your temper because Stefan and I were being insensitive," she explained.

"I'm sorry bro. I was being a jerk. You didn't deserve that. I guess I'm feeling jealous because you got all the talent and I got all the looks," he kidded adoringly.

Bonnie laughed.

Damon tried to hold back his laughter, but he couldn't. His brother always had a knack for making him laugh.

"Will someone please go pick up my hopes and dreams off the ground. I'm suing you for damages and emotional distress," he mocked.

Stefan jogged off to retrieve the bits and pieces of the model house.

"I guess this means you're okay?" Bonnie inquired sweetly.

Damon looked desirously over at her. He took her hand and kissed the back of it sensually as he closed his eyes. "Yeah, I'll be okay, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your day." He lovingly feathered his thumb over her warm cheek.

"You didn't ruin my day. You merely made it more memorable, and a little more exciting." She radiated.

They blushed.

"Okay, Damon's broken dreams are crumbled up in a sorry pile in the back of the truck. Now let's get to the Port before mom and dad think I went AWOL."

"Do I really have to see Giuseppe?" Damon groaned.

"Yes!" Stefan and Bonnie screeched in Unison, cracking up.

.o.O.o.

They were finally on the boat, enjoying each other's company while Damon worked up a sweat cooking lobster, crab legs, and shrimp.

"Stefan, who are you texting?" Bonnie asked.

"Oh, I hope you don't mind. I invited Tank, Justin, and Michael. Damon, I hope you have plenty to drink." Stefan nodded coolly, grinning.

"What!?" Stefan this was supposed to be a family outing." Bonnie hissed.

Damon shifted a glowering stare to his brother. "Dude!" he huffed.

"I'm sorry okay, but my family won't be the only ones I miss while I'm away. Come on you guys. They're walking up the port now to meet us," he explained imploringly.

"Stefan, I invited you, Bonnie, and our parents," Damon argued.

"You made enough food for an army!" Stefan shot back.

" How could you!" Bonnie stormed out of the cabin.

"Great!" Stefan slammed his beer down on the table.

Bonnie rushed out of the cabin and ran right into the boys.

"Hey Bonnie," Tank greeted.

"Hey," Bonnie gave them a displeased welcome, then made haste from their company.

"Someone's not happy to see us," Michael acknowledged with a half shrug.

Damon ran after Bonnie, finding her on the bow of the boat, leaning against the rail, her hair waving in the wind. He watched her enchantedly, devouring her beauty.

"Would you like some company?" he asked, drawing nearer to her with his hands jammed into his back pockets..

"Not now," she replied crudely.

Damon didn't leave. He stood on the opposite side of her, letting his presence be known. They stood, censored by anger and annoyance with their situation. Shadowing their tense moment was merriment and music. Even the sea conjured up its own waves of fun and a light, whimsical breeze.

"I wanted today to be about us," Bonnie confided.

"I know, but it still can be just about you and Stefan."

"How? His friends are here." she paused. "How should I feel? Should I be mad?" She looked to him for the answers.

"You could, but do you really want to ruin this beautiful night by being angry? It's not worth it Bonnie. He leaves tomorrow. I don't want to see you two fighting." He walked over to her, leaned over the rail, and watched her with a probing visual caress.

"When I woke up today…I imagined this day much differently in my head. I envisioned us riding and listening to music, and then coming back here to eat, share family memories, and then I pictured Stefan and I slow dancing on the deck under this beautiful illuminated moon," she explained, looking heavenward.

His eyes glinted, and he gave her a lopsided grin. "You still can do that. Take that man by the hand, pull his ass up on his feet, and demand he dance with you."

She half smiled. "Maybe later." Sadness clouded her features. She leaned down and propped her chin on her hand as she anchored her attention to the dark mysterious water.

"What about now?"

"What?" Her lashes swept up, and she blinked, surprised by his invitation.

"Will you dance with me?" he asked, holding out a chivalry hand to her.

"There's no music," she snorted incredulously.

"We don't need music to dance baby." He simpered, still holding his hand patiently out to her.

"Damon," she implored with a cross of her arms, her eyes rounded.

"Please don't leave me hanging B."

She finally gave in to the moment as she put her hand willingly into his.

"That's my girl," he said, snaking a hand around her waist, snuggling her closer to his heated body. He then swayed her slowly.

"See, we're dancing. What we are doing, is called-dancing," he clowned.

"Shut up." Bonnie laughed.

She drew in a long deep breath, surrendering fully to him. "What are you doing to me?" she asked frankly.

"Whatever you want B."


	3. Chapter 3: Goodbye My Love

**A/N:** Copyright Infringement not intended. I don't own these characters, but they are written in my own light, OOC. This is an AU.

I didn't mean to take so long updating. I am seriously rewriting this story. I had no intentions of doing that. The story stays the same, but I'm taking away the wordiness in some places. I will have the second part of this chapter up hopefully by Monday, but I'm shooting for Sunday. I'll be updating Oblivion very soon, by the end of next week. I set unrealistic goals sometimes… LOL!

 **DTBT Chapter 3: Goodbye My Love**

Bonnie and Damon continued to sway in each other's arms, even as the boat set sail. She found it unbelievably impossible to raise her face from his hard, warm chest. The strong thumping of his heart, resounding in her head was music to her soul. He clutched her hand a little bit tighter and pressed her soft body to his frame a little bit more snugly. They were enveloped in rapture.

Her eyelids leisurely peeled open as a pressing question filled her brain. "If you were married and forced to leave your wife, how would you spend your last night with the woman you love?"

"That's not fair Bonnie. My brother and I are two different people." He lifted his head up to give her his full and undivided attention, concerned written in his expression.

"Tell me Damon, please. How would you spend your last night at home?" Her eyes shimmered with sadness. She was desperate for an answer.

He blew out his cheeks, troubled. "I would spend it with my wife. I'd spend it—reassuring her that I would be okay." He smiled and swept a lock of her hair out of her face.

She gave him a flirty smile, wrapping her hands around his neck, and he took her by the waist.

"You are my kind of guy," she philandered. They started slow dancing once more, captivated with each other.

"I knew I'd find you two off being all mushy," Stefan announced, discontentment blazing in his eyes.

They keenly looked at him, slowly breaking away from their romantic interweave.

"Look Bonnie," Stefan jutted out a knee, disturbed. "I'm sorry that I invited the guys over, but I didn't think it would be an issue knowing that we would have the entire night to ourselves." He scuffled agitatedly on his feet.

"That's okay Stefan. I know how important your friends are to you." She folded her arms and gave him a serious look.

Damon's eyes darted worriedly between them. "Why don't you dance with Bonnie, Stefan. She told me that dancing with you was all that she could think about," he advised; his remark circumventing the tension brewing.

"You want to dance—with me?" Stefan prowled over to her. His face burning fanatically with desire.

"Yes, I want to dance—with you." she purred up at him.

"Ok." Stefan properly positioned his body for the waltz. She was amused by his gesture.

"Jeez, Stefan. This is supposed to be a romantic moment." Damon grinned, then let out a soft chortle. He watched, delighted as they blundered around the deck. "Shit…I think this dance is sorrier than your wedding dance," he mocked.

"Shut up," Bonnie cackled.

"I'm so drunk that my head is spinning." Stefan burst into a fit of laughter. He composed himself; his eyes focused on the jiggling of her titts. He impulsively licked his lips. "Unf, I'm going to give it to you good tonight."

"Maybe you'll even get me pregnant," she seduced.

Damon's vision collected with envy.

"You don't need a baby. You just need some loving," Stefan quipped.

"I told you I wanted children, and you said that once we get the house, we'd start a family," her voice hardened.

Stefan stopped dancing, then stepped out of her proximity. "Bonnie now is not the time to start a family. You think I want to leave you pregnant, alone, and possibly widowed?"

"Now is precisely why we should talk about starting a family."

"Wait, you're on the pill, right? Please tell me you haven't stopped taking the pill?" he inquired, one heavy brow slanted in strong disapproval.

"I'm still on the pill! God! I'm talking about when you come home," she snapped, thrusting her hands madly in the air. She shot him a crudely insulting stare.

His jaw tightened, and he gave her an intimidating glare.

Damon's eyes narrowed to slits as he cautiously observed them.

Stefan rubbed his eyes frustratingly so, turning his back to her. "Look, we don't need a baby, at least not now," he shouted crossly after reeling back around to her.

"I'm not talking about getting pregnant tonight! Hell, I couldn't get pregnant even if I tried!"

"I said—we'll talk about this later? I don't want to do this in front of my friends, in front of my brother. What about this don't you understand?"

"Go to hell," she clenched out, then walked over to the bow of the boat and leaned against the rails, putting some distance between them.

He glowered at her a few moments more before turning to walk away. "Talk about a buzz kill," he mumbled, furthering the distance between them.

Damon stared at his brother with a look designed to peel his hide. His shoulders slumped once his attention was brought back to Bonnie who stood, frozen from the weight of her worry as she anchored herself against the railing. He dragged himself to her side once again on this beautiful night, which was supposed to be the most romantic night of Bonnie's life.

"Bonnie-,"

"Not now," she said, taking him by the hand and clutching it forcefully. "No defending your brother, just be here with me." She forced a smile.

"Whatever you want B." He unexpectedly grabbed her and enfolded her in his arms, startling her with the urgency of his action. She crashed into his chest, eyes wide, and filled with tears.

"I love you so much. Everything's going to be alright. I promise B. I promise," he whispered into her hair, still holding her protectively in his grasp.

She gripped him tighter and smiled into his chest as happy tears slipped from her closed lids and rolled down her tawny cheeks

.o.O.o.

They arrived home, Damon decided to spend the night with Stefan and Bonnie. He lay on the couch, anxious about what the morning would bring.

Upstairs, Stefan and Bonnie were getting ready for bed. Stefan was sitting on the bed in his boxers, taking off his socks. Bonnie walked over to the nightstand, removing the backs of her earrings, and watching Stefan, her nebulous gaze unreadable. She sat down on the bed, that same look in her eyes.

The quietness between them spoke to Stefan. He peered at her from over his shoulder. He was so tired and drunk that his eyeballs seem to sag out of his head. He sluggishly stretched a hand across the large bed in the hopes that his hand would find hers.

She heard the faint rustling of the duvet as his hand skidded across the lavish gold and white comforter. "Why don't you want to start a family with me?" she asked with her back to him, her voice quaking as she spoke the words from over her shoulder.

"I do want kids with you, but not now," he replied, his eyes now bulging with exasperation.

"Save it Stefan. You know you don't want children with me. It was five years ago when you said that we would start a family," she casually protested as she pulled the sheets back and then climbed into bed.

"I'm leaving tomorrow. Can we not do this?" he pleaded.

"Whatever." She pulled the cover practically over her head, trying to elude him.

Stefan's eyes flashed with fury due to her cold demeanor. "Fuck this. I don't need this shit." He stomped out of the room and downstairs to the kitchen. He loudly slammed doors and slang cups and glasses, blowing off steam.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You do know I'm trying to go sleep in there?" Damon rudely inquired brow furrowed; his mouth went grim.

"Your sister-in-law is what's wrong with me."

"Not this shit, again," Damon expelled a loud puff of air, before taking a seat at the counter.

Stefan took out two beers, popped the tops with great ease, and then slid his brother a bottle.

Damon took a sip of the beer and frowned. "Let me guess, the baby thing." He rolled his eyes skyward.

"Why is she now bringing up wanting to start a family? She knows I'm leaving tomorrow."

"She's always wanted to start a family with you, but you've always shirked it off or found some lame excuse as to why you all shouldn't start a family," Damon retorted nonchalantly.

"That's a lie. I've never made excuses about starting a family with her."

"Sure," Damon gave him a smug grin.

"Whatever, Damon. Why am I even talking to you anyway?"

"Don't get mad at me. I agree with you. You and Bonnie shouldn't have babies," he replied unfeelingly, then took a big gulp of his beer.

Stefan examined him with disdain. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"A baby is the last thing you two need. She'd be the only real parent in the relationship; you'd be too busy drinking and parting with your bodies." Damon lifted his shoulder in a half shrug.

Stefan gave a bitter laugh. "Oh, I see what this is," he shook his head, angrily grinning.

"What?" Damon inquired coolly.

"You're jealous because I'm married, and we're starting a family."

"Really?" Damon's eyes went round with astonishment. He then doubled over with laughter.

"Fuck you Damon." Stefan found himself marching off once more.

Damon quickly gathered his calm, then went after his brother.

"Stefan, I'm sorry for what I said. You'd make a good father," he hesitated.

"Wow, that was very convincing, but that's okay. I'll prove you and everyone else wrong. When I return, I'm going to work on starting a family with Bonnie."

"Are you sure you want to start a family with her? Once children are involved, you'll be connected for life," Damon seriously articulated, fear written all over him.

"That's what married couples do, right? They have babies, buy houses, share bank accounts." Stefan sat down on the couch; his green flinty eyes dazed ahead.

"You don't have to start a family because you're married." Damon nervously laughed as he apprehensively patted him on the back.

"…but I should." Stefan sadly looked up at him. "If I don't give Bonnie reassurance, she'll leave me. What will it look like to all of my friends and our parents if I can't make my marriage work?" he questioned abstractedly. A deafening hush poured into the room as Damon stood there, distress highlighting his countenance. Stefan sat on the arm of the couch, a meditating look in his eyes as he considered their conversation.

"I can't let my marriage end. I'm going to start a family with Bonnie." Stefan gave a quick nod, then placed his beer down on the coffee table. Once his mind was made up, and he was rid of his beer, he left Damon alone—with his thoughts. He anxiously rubbed his face and shifted uneasily on his feet as the poundage of trepidation bear down on him. He sunk down to the sofa as if his body was too heavy to carry. "She's going to have his baby," he despairingly croaked out.

.o.O.o.

They woke up early the next morning, neither of them mentioning a word about the topic that was discussed on the boat or after they made it home.

Damon made them a big breakfast, and they carried on as if this day was like any other day. They all ate and were out of the house by eight thirty that morning. It was a quiet ride to the airport. This time Stefan sat in the front seat with his brother.

"While I'm away Damon, please look after my yard, and if anything goes wrong around the house, will you go by and take care of it for Bonnie?"

"Stefan, you know I'm going to make sure she's okay. You don't have to remind me to take care of baby girl." Damon winked at Bonnie through the rearview mirror.

"That's sweet of you guys, but I'm a grown ass woman. I'm capable of taking care of myself. I know how to read, write, and dial a handyman if shit goes wrong," she asserted with a roll of her eyes.

The fellows cackled in hilarity.

"No, B! I got you! I got you!" Damon howled excitedly.

"Ha, Ha." She was not amused.

"Ah, don't be so grumpy pussycat," Stefan coddled.

"Sorry. I don't want you to go." She got all teary-eyed.

"Aw." Stefan reached over and lovingly caressed her leg. "I love you, and I swear that I will return to my baby!" He shot her a cutesy grin.

"Now you want to reassure me that everything is going to be okay after planting all these gory and glooming details in my head." The corners of her mouth curved into a smile.

Stefan chuckled, then leaned his seat back to give her a kiss.

"Get a room," Damon sarcastically interrupted.

They finally arrived on the airfield where the rest of the marine's and their families were. Damon helped his brother with his luggage. Once his things were unloaded, they joined in on a group hug.

"Take care of mom and dad. Stay out of trouble. Find you a good woman and marry her," Stefan playfully advised.

"What—you don't want me to write you every day?" Damon poked fun at him.

"Oh yes, I want you to write me every day; all though, I probably won't get your letters until a month later." Stefan jested. "…and if your house isn't finished by the time I get back, we'll finish it together. Deal?"

"Deal. I love you little bro." Damon hugged him, then kissed his forehead and cheeks.

"…and I love you." Stefan's affections mirrored his brother's. They broke away from their bear hug and lovingly patted each other on the back as they walked leisurely along the tarmac.

"Bonnie," Stefan called, and the moment her name escaped his lips, her tears overflowed her lids and rolled down her cheeks. She took his hand, and he wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of his fingers.

"Stop crying. You big ole baby. I don't want my last memory of you to be of you crying over me, especially when you have such a beautiful smile."

"How am I supposed to muster a smile when I know our future is so uncertain?" her words wavered with sobs.

"Well, maybe this will make you smile. I want to start a family with you. I wish I had done this a long time ago," he avowed seriously.

Bonnie eyes widened with amazement at his assertion.

Damon went pale.

"You—want to start a family?" She stammered, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"Yes. I love you Bonnie, and I hope you will wait for me. I won't let anything stop me from getting back to you."

Damon wobbled feebly back and forth before resting back against someone else's vehicle.

Stefan was called to the plane.

"Okay, I better go." He took Bonnie's chin with his index finger and gave her a long moist kiss; his lips lingered for the longest. He slowly broke away from their lip lock, Bonnie all smiles.

He then looked around to find his brother several feet away, resting back against a car, and the color drained from his face.

"It's okay bro. Everything is going to be okay. I'll be back sooner than you can get a date to Bonnie's baby shower," he kidded, and then laughed at his own joke as he took Damon into his arms for another bear hug.

"Yeah, I know," Damon responded distractedly as his glossy eyes looked out to the backdrop.

Stefan gave his final goodbye's and then went to board the plane.

They watched him as he prepared to board. Stefan turned to them. He blew a kiss and waved goodbye one last time. Bonnie blew a kiss back, catching Stefan before he vanished from their sight. They waited on the airstrip until the plane started its ascent. She jogged after the plane for a spell, not going too far from Damon as she waved goodbye fanatically.

Damon managed to force a smile as he tentatively waved goodbye as well.

They stood on the tarmac until the plane flew off into oblivion.

They walked silently back to the car.

They rode away from the airport, a somberness filling the cabin of the truck.

"Do you want to go home?" Damon's dry voice cut through the calm.

Bonnie lovingly looked over at him and wrapped her hand around his. "I want to go wherever you go."

Her words transformed his miserable appearance into a happy one. He gripped her hand and gave it a sweet kiss.

On the plane, Stefan pulled out a picture of Bonnie. The picture shook in his trembling hand. "I should've started a family with her." His face clouded with sadness. His head fell against the window. He squeezed his eyes shut, gritted his teeth as he folded her picture protectively in his hand, and pressed it to his chest.

.o.O.o.

On the way back home, Bonnie decided that home wasn't where she really wanted to be, considering that she had to see Stefan off to a hostile place like Afghanistan. "Will you take me by the office? I want to check on things."

"Oh." Damon shot her a bothered look. "Oh—oh, okay; yeah I'll take you," he said hesitantly.

Bonnie laughed. "If you don't want to take me, that's fine." She smiled.

"It's not that I don't want to take you, I don't want to run into Alicia." He twisted his face all up with annoyance.

"You'll be happy to know that she doesn't work on the weekends." She giggled.

"Thank God." He let out a harsh breath, pleased.

They arrived at the animal clinic within fifteen minutes. He parked the vehicle and hurried out of the truck. He rushed over to the passenger side and opened the door for her, being a perfect gentleman as always. She slid her hand slowly into his. Their eyes met immediately on contact.

She swallowed nervously as his thumb gently massaged the back of her hand. They stood gazing at each other, their pupils flaming like torches as they stood in the middle of the driveway.

The honk of a loud horn going off, startled them from their enthralled and beseeching gawk. She grabbed her chest in a fright. He shrank and pivoted around seeking out the culprit. They dissolved into laughter at the hilarious and embarrassing incident.

"Omigod! You should have seen the look on your face," she cackled.

"Me? What about you?"

They made it to the entrance way, winded by the amusing moment they shared.

"Wow. I haven't been here in a long time," He acknowledged as he looked around the clinic.

"I know. You've been so busy with your construction business that you hardly come by the clinic anymore."

"I can't blame it all on the business, I—" he dawdled.

"You what?" she insisted as she turned to face him. He stared at her, his face sprayed with torment. He rubbed his chin uncomfortably, then faked a smile. "Oh, it's nothing that you should concern yourself with, so show me the animals. Don't you offer doggy daycare." He brilliantly changed the subject.

"Oh, yeah, but first, I want to check on Jade. She recently had surgery." She gave him an askew grin. "Damon, this is Jade, and Jade, this is Damon," she introduced after taking the dog into her arms.

"What a beautiful animal," Damon happily chimed as he patted the top of the dog's head. "What happened to her?" He locked eyes with Bonnie, his expression curious as he blindly massaged the animal.

"She was attacked by a vicious Rock Wilier, but she's going to be okay."

"Of course, she's going to be okay; she's being cared for by the best veterinarian in the entire world." he waggled his brow flirtatiously at her.

She chewed on her bottom lip and blinked owlishly up at him. That same old heart stopping and all-consuming look ensued, yet again.

"Hey, Bonnie."

They jerked their heads in the direction of the assistant who had just walked up.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," the woman said, looking curiously between them.

"Oh, no. Oh, no. You aren't interrupting." Bonnie strongly corrected. "What is it that you need?"

"I need to submit our purchase order for medical supplies. Can you look over the list before its submitted?" the assistant requested.

Bonnie walked away with the woman. She looked back at Damon, his eyes still amorously glued to her. She shyly rubbed the back of her neck and nibbled on her lip. He instinctively licked his lips, deeply sighed, and then jerked his probing observe to the dog. He continued to steal sideways glances at her until she disappeared from his view.

Bonnie pried her visual exploration from her brother-in-law long enough to proof the pressing purchase order that her assistant was nearly waving in her face as they walked back to her office.

Damon pushed his nose into Jade's soft, clean white fur, and whispered, "Hurry home little brother. Please."

.oOo.

They finally made it back to Bonnie's house. Whilst she was in her bedroom gathering up her things, Damon anxiously paced the living room floor, drumming his fingers against his leg.

He then went to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and absentmindedly looked around at its contents. He closed the icebox and then walked back to the living room. He stood in the middle of the room, swinging his restless gaze around the room before landed on their wedding picture.

He stared single-mindedly at the photograph of Bonnie and Stefan, sitting in the entertainment unit before taking the frame from the shelf. His thumb subconsciously rubbed over his brother's face; he smiled.

He then traced his finer over Bonnie's image. He instantly caught his breath. A deep absorbent appearance coating his face.

"Damon, I'm ready," she informed as she hurried down the stairs.

"Earth to Damon," she called out to the catatonic man, again.

"Oh, hey," he whirled his moon-eyed expression around to her.

"Hey, are you okay?" her eyes dimmed with concern.

"Yeah, thinking about my brother, you know," he answered as he placed the frame back down on the shelf, perfectly.

Bonnie grabbed the picture and smiled down at the photo. "This was one of the happiest days of my life." she beamed.

"…and here I thought the happiest day of your life was the first time you met me," he teased, then gave her an ardent gleam.

She reciprocated his affections. "Meeting you was another—happiest day in my life," she professed devotedly as she took him by the hand.

He blushed. "You mean that?" he gave her an angelic smile.

"Yes." She gave him a chaste kiss. He grinned goofily and shuffled cockily on his feet as he placed his hands proudly on his hips. The moment got away from him after he spotted Bonnie's backpack.

"You didn't pack anything," he scrutinized, frowning.

"I have enough. I have my PJ's and an outfit for work, that's all I need," she explained coolly.

"Whatever." He threw his palms up in surrender.

"I would have grabbed more, but I didn't' know if you'd feel comfortable with me staying longer."

"I don't care how long you stay with me. Are you scared to be here alone?" His face painted over with concern.

"I'm not scared. I feel lonely," she revealed shamefully.

"You can stay with me as long as you want," he assured, giving her a caring look. "Here, give me a hug. You're not alone B." He wrapped his arms around her waist. She dropped her satchel on the floor, then placed her hands on his shoulders, instantly becoming comfortable in his arms.

"I hope you still feel this way when I'm messing up your pristine house," she playfully mocked.

"There's nothing you can do to make me ever send you away," he said seriously in a low husky voice, a veiled expression of admiration in his eyes. She studied him for a moment, feeling exposed under the power of his penetrating blues as the seconds ticked away.

"We, we—we better go," she stammered, breaking away from his loving clasp, and then clumsily felt around for her backpack.

.oOo.

They arrived at Damon's place. He walked into his home, Bonnie's backpack on his shoulder. He threw his keys into the glass bowl, sitting on the accent table by the front door. "You want the grand tour?" he toyed.

"Please, I know where all the garbage cans and cleaning supplies are located."

"…and do you know the exits to dispose of any and all unwanted and unsanitary items?" he winked.

"Boy, bye," she shouldered passed him, then snickered at his cutesy remark. She went to the living room and plopped down on the sofa and looked around the place. "It is nearly impossible to keep a place this spotless," she observed.

"It's not entirely impossible, especially when you live alone," he said dreadfully.

"You're not alone anymore. You have me for at least the next six months to a year, or whenever Uncle Sam decides to release Stefan." She twisted her lips up in contempt.

"Yeah, I guess that's enough time," he said vaguely. They sat in thought for a moment. The house eerily quiet except for that old water filter, trickling water in to the fish tank, resounding ever so loudly like always.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, a tired look in his eyes as he propped his chin up on his hand.

"Yes. You got anything here to cook?"

"No, but we can order take-out," he proposed.

"Chinese?" she suggested with a shrug.

"Mm, I'm craving a burrito."

"That sounds good, too. Order me one and some nachos," she requested.

"Okay." He pulled out his phone to look over the menu before calling the delivery service.

Bonnie turned on the TV and flicked quickly through the channels, not really paying any attention to what was on the television.

"You want something to drink, tea, diet soda, or water?" He stood in front of the refrigerator, door wide open, looking over their choices.

"Do you have any wine?"

"It's the middle of the afternoon B."

"We just said goodbye to your brother—who's going to Afghanistan," she gently reminded.

He let out a deep chuckle, "I see your point. Bourbon for me. Wine for you."

He poured their drinks and carefully brought them to the sofa. Bonnie laid out the coasters. He smiled in response to her good deed.

He sat down and then handed her a glass of wine. "To Stefan." He held out his tumbler.

"To Stefan." She clinked her glass with his, then they took a sip.

"Stefan's going to be fine. Once we hear from him, you'll feel a lot better," he reassured.

"I know, but it's hard not to think about him flying for so long, and then being over there in such a hostile place. No matter how much people tell me it's going to be okay, it still won't stop me from worrying." She stared up at him, becoming engrossed by his demeanor. He rubbed his hands together anxiously. He couldn't be completely still.

"We'll be each other's shoulder to cry on, right?" she comforted as she interlocked their fingers.

"Most definitely." He gave a sad smile.

An awkward moment ensued. "I don't mind you staying here with me, and I don't mind taking you to work every morning. After work tomorrow, I can take you by your place to pick up some more things." He traced his finger around the rim of his glass, giving her a welcoming grin.

"I don't know if that's a great idea," she advised sheepishly.

He lowered his head in shame.

"Yeah, you're right. I don't know why I said that." He got up of the couch and walked to the kitchen table. He turned crimson from his shameful display of desperation.

"You are the sweetest brother in law -ever," she complemented as she walked over to him. She strongly brushed her hand across his back. He closed his eyes; a pleasurable moan fled his breath.

His fingers played with hers. He faced her, then tenderly kissed her forehead. Her mouth partially opened, inviting, and imploring a touch of his lips. He wrapped his hands around her back. She draped her hands around his neck and nestled her cheek into his. They got lost with caressing and cuddling each other. Had the water filter stopped working? The sound of the fish tank suddenly vanished, disappeared without a trace.

Soon Bonnie was aware of her surroundings and how inappropriate her actions were. She was also aware of how wonderfully right she felt in this moment, but why? Why now did he make her feel this way? The questioned rolled around violently in her consciousness. She pressed her hands on his shoulders and partially pushed their perfectly seamed bodies apart, but she couldn't numb her senses to how wonderful his sculptured abdomen felt still pancaked against hers.

"What is it baby?" he whispered, after pressing his lips against her forehead, and then stealing a kiss.

"I can't stay with you. You have to take me home, now." Bonnie ripped herself from his grasp. Damon was devastated.

* * *

 **A/N:** Again, I'm sorry it took me so long to update. Thanks for supporting me and being patient with me.


	4. Chapter 4: Stay

**A/N:** Copyright Infringement not intended. I don't own these characters, but they are written in my own light, OOC. This is an AU.

 **DTBT Ch. 4 Stay**

"I can't stay with you. You have to take me home, now," she said desperately. Damon went pale. He was thwarted by her proclamation.

He eased away from her, putting some space between them. He walked over to the sink and start washing a coffee cup and a plate from the morning previously. Bonnie kept him under close surveillance, her temperament withered with humiliation and dismay.

"I'm sorry, Damon. I didn't mean for that to come out the way that it did."

He stopped what he was doing. He remained tongue-tied with his hands resting on the rim of the sink, a reflecting thought in his eyes.

"I'm sorry that I came on so strong. I thought you needed a hug. I'm not sure why I tried to make, comforting you into a full on make out session." He joked at his own expense. Mocking himself helped outwit.

Her voice bubbled with humor, a sparkle in her eyes. "I don't know what I was thinking," she said innocently. "It's been such a long day."

"Yeah, it's been a long day," he repeated, still affixing his blinkers on anything in the room but her; his body was as inflexible as a steal rod.

"…so," she dragged out as she walked over to the couch, making a steeple of her fingers as she went. She sat down and announced, "Maybe I should go home. It's crazy to be away from my home on the first night that Stefan's away. You know," she advised modestly.

"What?" he finally acknowledged her. His eyes liquid pools of discourage. He high tailed it over to her. "You act like this is the first time we've been touchy feely with each other." He chuckled disbelievingly. "B, this is our thing. We're best friends; we love each other. We're there for each other," he scrambled.

"Mm." Her face contorted in deliberation. It took a full minute for her to continue. "Something feels off Damon. I don't know what it is, but when you hold me." She took in a sharp intake of air and got up from the sofa. He looked at her with anticipation of her next words.

"When I hold you, Bonnie, what?" he linked his hands between his legs, anxiousness tinting his veneer.

She rushed back to the sofa, looking him square in the pupils. "When you hold me it feels all weird, and fluttery, and tingly, and omigod, ew; it's so bizarre, and weird; it's so weird, and uncomfortable. You know?"

"Okay, I think we've established that it's weird," he blurted, riled. He flushed and looked at her with visionary eyes. "Uh, okay." He was taken aback. "I've never had my touch described as yucky, but okay."

"You're misunderstanding me. Don't you feel something?"

"No," he answered insensitively.

"Whatever." She jumped up off the couch, went back to her room, and start gathering up her stuff. Damon waited a moment, giving her space to cool her heels. He leaned against the door frame, a deadpan look on his face as he watched her collect her things.

"I can't believe you want to leave," he said flatly, in a low husky voice.

"…because it's for the best," she griped.

"How's it for the best that we be apart when we feel the way we do about everything going on in our lives right now? If anything, we need to keep each other company; you can drink your wine, and I can drink my bourbon. You know—we chill," he rationalized all spiritedly, his eyes red-rimmed from worry, and disappointment.

"Netflix and chill, huh?" she managed to kid around.

"Unf, I don't know about all of that." He bashfully scratched the back of his head. Their orbs locked in a shared understanding as they continued to share in the comical moment.

"Okay, I'll stay," she confirmed.

"…but did you really want to leave?" He cockily folds his arms, his communication bright with optimist.

She loudly snorted, then bent over in a cheerful convulsion, the source of her sounding laugh coming from deep within.

"Now come on, let's put on a movie," he said, grabbing her hands, and pulling her up on her feet.

"I'll make popcorn," she added.

She went to the kitchen, located the box of popcorn, and popped one in to the microwave. While she gathered up their snacks, he searched the catalog of movies on the TV.

"I don't see anything that great on the premium channels. We can rent a movie on demand."

"Their movies are so expensive," she frowned.

"It's just one movie." He lazily blinked his heavy eyelids and gave a shrug at her assertion.

"Okay; get something with lots of action and a good ending."

"I know what kind of movies you like, B."

"Yeah, I need to get my mind off what's going on in the here and now. A good fantasy or action movie might help."

"…or a good comedy," he answered.

"This is true," she replied as she walked over to the couch, a large bowl of popcorn in hand. "Have you seen Rampage?"

"No. Is that what you want to watch?"

She nodded. "Sure."

He found the movie, then put it on pause whilst he got their drinks. He turned off all the lights and they snuggled up on the sofa and start watching the movie. The room was illuminated by the light he left on over the kitchen sink.

He rested back in to the corner of the couch, stretched his legs out, and propped his feet up on the coffee table. She found leisure against his body, then sat the bowl of popcorn in her lap. She was uncomfortable with their closeness as she couldn't stop squirming about or cease her benign rambling. Oddly, he found her constant maundering, adorable as he hung on to every word.

"Are you cold?" he asked, eyeing her as he placed his hand on the red throw sitting on the back of the sofa.

"Only a little," she mumbled.

He covered her with the throw. They grinned at each other once finding a homely position on the couch. He swung an arm over her front. Her eyes narrowed and bulged as if a sharp knife had gone straight through her flesh at seeing his hand rest cozily on her anatomy. They fell asleep halfway through the movie. She slept comfortably on his chest, her arm stretched out on his lap, and he lay slumped over on her. Her soft, brown hair pillowing his head.

They were asleep and completely unaware of their intimate pose on the couch. They were awakened by the dead silence of the room. First Damon woke; he raised his sleepy lids to see the blue screen on the TV, and then down at the top of her head. He beamed down at her; he squeezed her to him and then tenderly kissed her forehead.

She was awakened by his effusive touch. She looked curiously up at a partially smirking Damon. "What time is it?"

He looked at the watch on his arm and read off the time. "It's eleven thirty-two."

"Wow, it's late. I wonder if Stefan tried to call me." She broke free from their benevolent nestle and then grabbed her phone, which was sitting on the coffee table.

"Did he call?" he asked.

"No," she answered somberly and then looked back at him. "I'm tired. I better go to bed. Monday's are always my longest and hardest days," she said, then got up off the couch. She grabbed the throw, neatly folded it, and placed it back where it was originally on the sofa. He simpered, impressed by her actions.

"There're clean towels in the bathroom if you feel like taking a shower tonight."

"Mm, yes. I could use a hot shower." She kissed him on the cheek.

"Goodnight." He leaned down and kissed her back on the cheek, his lips lingered longer than they should have.

She proceeded down the hall to the guest bedroom with a tedious slowness. She grinned once entering the room. She marveled at the beautifully decorated space. She was in and out of there so fast earlier that she didn't appreciate the gorgeously decked out bed like she did now. Damon had a keen eye for detail and style; she really admired that about him.

She sat down on the black and white comforter, decorated with red and black accented pillows. She grabbed her backpack off the floor, pulled out her personal items, and then went to the bathroom.

She turned on the water, letting it get hot. She stood in front of the mirror, abstractedly fiddling with her tooth brush as she concentrated on eyes as lifeless as those of a doll staring back at her. "What are you doing Bonnie?"

She looked at herself for a bit longer, then climbed inside the shower. She hummed with pleasure at the first contact of the hot water hitting her skin. She impatiently washed herself and barely dried her skin before putting on her night clothes.

She moved laboriously from the washroom to the inviting bed silently summoning her to take a rest. Steam followed her as she dragged her feet across the carpet, picking up friction as she went. She threw herself in to bed and put herself in the dark. She squeezed her eyes shut and exhaled deeply as she wrapped herself tightly in the covers. She nuzzled her face against the duvet and hugged it ever so close to her figure.

She lay there for several minutes, then realized she couldn't fall asleep. Her eyes widened like mushroom caps, and her mind was fully alert to everything going on in her life.

"God please protect my husband, bring him home to me. Whatever your will, let it be done." She laid perfectly still as she spoke her supplication to the Lord. A tear trundled down the side of her face as her prayer coursed from her soul. Her lashes lowered, shielding her sight from the dim illumination throughout the room. Once again, she tried to get some rest.

Her thoughts soon regressed to her moment on the couch with Damon. She blushed involuntarily. She looked over at the entry, a faint light from the hallway peeped from under the doorway.

An aching look masked her face as her thousand-yard stare remained fixed on the light coming through the breach of the bedroom door. A big part of her wanted to be near Damon. She enjoyed his company and his touch, and lately, she enjoyed and craved his attention even more. She sprang to an upright position on the bed as he rapt softly on the door. She rushed to turn on the lamp and then opened her lap top which was sitting underneath the night stand. She didn't want anything to deter his visiting her.

"Come in," she invited.

"Hey." He entered, shirtless, and wearing his black pajama bottoms. "You're up." He sent her a slight grin. "You find everything okay? Are you comfortable?"

"Oh yeah, most definitely." She gave a coy smile and a thumb up. "What about you? Are you feeling okay?"

"No. I'm worried about Stefan. We're close, in case you haven't noticed." He chuckled softly. He walked over to the bed and sat down at the foot.

"I noticed." She tittered. "You know you can talk to me anytime about anything," She put away her lap top and pulled the comforter protectively up to her abdomen.

"I'm angry at Stefan for leaving me. How dare that bastard let the government dictate his comings and goings?" he teased as he crawled up to the head of the bed. He crossed his legs at the ankles, relaxed a hand on his god-like pecks as he reclined back in bed, and rested his head on the palm of his hand. He gazed over at her. His aquamarine eyes sparked with passion, and a sexy devilish smirk adorned his lips.

"Your divorce from Stefan was a long time coming," she kidded amiably.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." That same happy smirk was still displayed on his face.

They shared an awkward silence both sightlessly searching the room and every so often given each other a proper regard.

"Talk to me; I'm bored," he persuaded.

"I don't know what to talk about. You talk to me."

"I'm sure there's some good gossip, making its rounds about the office." He chuckled.

"There's no gossip, but I'm sure you men have plenty that you talk about at the work place. You know that it's a fact that men gossip way more than women," she enlightened all cutesy and was extremely amused by her own claim.

"Whew—that's no lie." He rolled over in a hoot. "Man, I know some stories," he cast a thinking glance downward, grinning knowingly.

"Oh, share," she sassily implored.

"Oh, no; no. All you need to know is that work is great. As I've said many times before, being my own boss is the best thing that could've happened to me. I don't like bosses. I don't like being told what to do."

"Yes, I do know that, it's one of the reasons you get along so well with your dad," she slipped out, then snapped her mouth shut.

"Yeah, no need to feel bad for stating the obvious, it's true, and I'm not ashamed of how we are."

"…and you shouldn't be ashamed. No family is perfect."

"Your mom and dad are perfect," he reminded.

"They argue, too. They're just more careful." She batted her lashes hilariously. He was entertained.

They talked themselves to sleep. He slept soundly on top of the covers, inches away from Bonnie. He woke once due to the coolness on his skin. She awoke at feeling him writhing about the bed.

"Oh, no. You're cold?" her brow creased with concern for his wellbeing. Damon lay in bed with both hands crammed between his thighs for warmth. He'd rather be frozen solid, then leave her side.

"No, I'm okay," he said, barely parting his lips. He grabbed the king size pillow and covered himself.

She vibrated strongly with a hardy tickle. His body jerked, amused by her reaction. His laughter curtailed by his sleepiness. "Sh. Sh. Go to sleep," he said, grinning, his eyes tightly shut.

"Get under the covers," she demanded.

His lashes fluttered open, revealing a love-struck gawk. "You sure?" he croaked out, his brow burrowed into his face.

"Yes. Come on," she said, getting out of the bed and began pulling back the covers. He lifelessly climbed out of bed and helped her with the covers. He was too tired to wait for her to lay down first. He laid down, and she lie down beside him and then tucked him in for the night. They poured over each other with a loving visual until she broke it off.

She closed her eyes, then he closed his. She opened hers back up and caringly kissed him on the forehead. "Goodnight, Damon." She settled back in and closed her eyes.

"Goodnight, Bonnie." He was lost in her beauty until sleep engulfed him.

.oOo.

Damon's alarm sounded at six that morning. He woke up feeling fully rested even with just four hours of sleep. He peeked over at Bonnie and smiled before rushing off to the bathroom. He showered, brushed his teeth, and quickly got dressed. His outfit consisted of dark stone washed jeans, a white button down, and his combat boots.

He took a glimpse at his watch, checking the time. He went back to check on Bonnie. He cracked the door, finding that she was still sound asleep. He entered, went to her side of the bed, and gently nudged her shoulder.

"It's time to get up," he softly and happily stated in his deep voice.

"Mm, good morning. What's the time?" She rubbed her sleepy eyes.

"A quarter to seven."

"Omigod, didn't we just fall asleep." She groaned, sitting up on the mattress.

"I'll make us some breakfast," he offered, then left her to get ready.

Bonnie showered and got ready for the day. She emerged from her room thirty minutes later fully dressed in her grey slacks and a pink, button-down shirt.

"Good morning beautiful," he admired. "Here's your coffee with two spoons of crème and two scoops of sugar." He handed her the cup of coffee the moment she entered the kitchen.

"Thank you! I can't believe you remembered!" she gushed.

He leaned suavely against the counter and sipped on his cup of Joe, his shirt still undone. He benevolently regarded Bonnie as she drank her java, too. "How's the coffee?"

"Good, really good, so, what time are you picking me up for lunch?" she inquired, placing her cup down on the countertop. She walked over to Damon and instinctively began buttoning his shirt. He looked down at her hands as they closed his top. His mouth fell open; he was thunderstruck as she performed the task of tidying him up.

She finished fastening his shirt but left the top two buttons undone. She pressed her hands to his chest, trailed her fingers over his shoulders, around his neck, and linked her digits. He gave her a stunned look and forgot the question presented to him minutes ago.

"What time are you picking me up?" she asked, again, looking him straight in the eye.

"Is twelve o'clock okay?" he stammered.

"Okay." She pecked him on the lips and tried to walk away, but he pulled her back to him. He kissed her back. She smiled, not realizing the very real an intimate connection that was taking place between them. She went to the table and start eating her breakfast.

Damon's palms were pressed against the countertop; he stared vaguely at the sink with his wide-spread eyes, then took a long, deep breathe. A huge grin found its way through his stunned, articulation. He risked an erotic peek at Bonnie before joining her at the table, where he sat next to her, stealing loving hints of gooey eyes, and she gave him flirty and cutesy glances back.

.oOo.

Damon moved painfully around the office all that morning, and never once did he walk around the work site to supervise his men. He kept picking up his phone, looking at her picture. He held his phone as if it was too heavy to handle, consuming her image with his piercing ferret-like pupils. "Larry's here," his workman announced after stepping into his trailer office.

"Oh, yeah—okay," he murmured, rising lethargically to his feet. He went to exit his office when his eyes expanded with remembrance. "Shit," he blurted, then doubled back for his cellphone. He unlocked the screen, eyed her picture a few seconds, and then went to meet Larry who was just outside his office, waiting on him.

"Morning. We'll be ready for you to pour the concrete Thursday," he drawled.

A sound rang from Damon's back pocket. He stopped dead in his tracks and seriously eyed his phone. All sights were on him. His aspect brightened at seeing that it was a text from Bonnie.

 _I miss you._ _XOXOXO! I sure could use some of your coffee right now; sleepy._ The text read.

He rushed to respond to her, ignoring Larry, and his employee.

 _I'm missing you like crazy B. I hope you're working up an appetite._ He texts back.

 _I can go for a steak right now…LOL!_

 _I'll see you at noon—sharp. Love you._

 _Love you, too._ She concluded.

He sprang to life immediately after hearing from her. He was now enthusiastically into work, even giving Larry a tour of the area and showed him plans for the building. He was extremely jovial as he babbled on and on, giving, and telling Larry more than he needed to know or hear. He had nothing but smiles and jokes for his men as he strolled around the work site, ironing out problems, and supervising his men with leniency when normally he was a bit of a tyrant.

.oOo.

Damon's guest was gone. He now sat at his desk, drumming his fingers impatiently against his desk, watching the clock. The long hand hit six. He bolted out of his office in a mad dash for his car.

"Damon!" An employee called after him.

"Yeah! Yeah! What?" he shouted, turning red.

"I'm not feeling so well…,"

"Yeah, yeah, just go," he yelled as he jumped in to his truck and immediately started it up.

"I don't have PTO time! I just want to take a short nap in my car!" the man yelled and jogged after him as he backed out of the gravel and dirt, stirring it all up as he departed.

"DAMN IT! GO HOME! I'LL PAY YOU!" He snarled loudly and burned rubber out onto the street, flipping off the horn beeping and peeved motorists as he set off down the boulevard.

.oOo.

He hurried in to Bonnie's office, sweat peppering his brow, shirt wet under the pits from hauling ass across the parking lot under the, blazing and scorching sun.

"Hey, Damon!" Alicia welcomed flirtatiously.

"Yeah, whatever," he said rudely, marching right on pass her.

"Hey!" he greeted after entering Bonnie's office, his eyes vivid with happiness.

"Damon!" she gasp after examining his appearance. "You're sweating like a pig!"

"Pigs don't sweat. Hey, aren't you the veterinarian?" He smirked while pointing his finger prominently at her.

"Ha. Ha. Funny," she said sarcastically, then laughed. "Where are we going?"

He wrapped an arm intimately around her back and put his lips to her ear to tell her the name of the restaurant as the sauntered down the hall. Alicia gave them a flayed glower with her mouth all warped with envy and disdain. Outside, Damon opened the door for Bonnie. He kissed her on the cheek several times before she fully climbed inside.

He drove to the restaurant going five miles under the speed limit, squeezing in as much time as he could with her.

His gentleman-like behavior didn't end after they arrived at the restaurant. He opened the door to the café for her. They were greeted by the hostess. Bonnie excused herself to powder her nose. Damon was seated at their table. He sat down and drummed his hands gently against the table while he eagerly waited for Bonnie to join him.

"Hello, my name is Crystal. I'll be your waiter this afternoon. Here are your menu's. Can I get you and your wife drinks while you wait for her to return?" Crystal welcomed.

He gave a nervous laugh. "Oh, she's not my wife. She's my sister, and yeah, uh, I'll have a iced tea with lemon, and she'll have a coke zero." He blushed.

"Well, in that case." She leaned over the table and wrote her number down on a piece of paper and slide it over to him.

"Oh, great," he susurrated, then forced a grin.

He went rigid. His brother's words began to echo in his mind. He begins to ponder over his actions of late when it came to Bonnie, his brother's wife.

"…so—Crystal, what's an appropriate time to call you?" he probed, unmoved, his gaze went to the table while he toyed uneasily with the menu.

"Any time after seven is fine. I get off at six tonight." She stood there, staring down at his perfectly teased raven hair.

"Okay, I'll call you," he answered indifferently, then sat up straight in his chair, coupling his hands on top of the table. He then focused on an empty space in the air between them, eluding eye contact with the, philandering woman.

She radiated, pleased with his answer, and practically skipped away from the table, her long blonde ponytail wildly chasing after.

A few moments later, Bonnie joined him. "Hey, did I miss anything?"

"I ordered you a diet coke and the waitress gave me her number," he informed in a dejected tone.

"Oh…oh…okay," she faltered and politely nodded.

"Is something wrong?" he gave her a curious glance.

"No, it's just that she knows you're here with another woman and she asked you out. That's a little rude, don't you think?" She pointed out, piqued.

"She probably thought I was alone. I don't think she saw you," he answered, being economical with the truth in a daring attempt to difuse the strain, pleading to rear its ugly head.

"I guess that totally makes it better," she responded cynically; Damon slapped the table, his laughter floated through the air like a tune.

He calmed, still winded from being so amused by Bonnie's conduct. "You know," he breathed, composing himself to finish his thought. "You and Stefan were right. I do need to settle down. Who knows, this one could be the one," he taunted.

"Okay folks, here are your drinks, and I forgot to ask for your name."

Bonnie's scrutinize traveled lividly down her figure. Jealousy burned in her eyes like a furnace.

Damon pressed a hand to his lips, muting a snicker. "My name's, Damon."

"Nice to meet you, Damon. I do hope you'll call me tonight?"

Bonnie jerked her gaze over to Damon; knowing that Crystal knew who she was to him irritated her enormously.

"Crystal, is Damon the first man that you've ever met, or do you desperately throw yourself at all the patrons that come into this restaurant?" She gave the woman a fake, dirty grin, politely clasping her hands on top of the table and crossing her legs.

Damon's and Crystal's mouth flew open. They were floored by Bonnie's crass and brazen remark.

"What would you like to order?" Crystal gave Bonnie a nasty look as she crudely turned the page on her pad.

"I'll have the Hummus & Veggie Wrap." Bonnie arrogantly handed the menu back to the woman.

"I'll come back for it later." She gave a simulated smile to Bonnie and refused to take her menu. She rerouted a flirtatious gaze to Damon. "…and what can I get you handsome?"

"I'll have the roast beef, cheddar, and horseradish sandwich on the tomato basil wrap." He dropped a blushing grin to the table as he nervously traced a finger over the menu.

Crystal blew a kiss at Damon and gave Bonnie a scowl as she turned to walk away. "Bitch," she whispered.

"Okay, that skank ass hoe is not getting a tip," Bonnie snapped with a roll of her neck. Damon dissolved into a fit of laughter.

"…so, I guess it will be a big mistake to ask what you think of her?" he stated mockingly.

"Shut up, and no, I don't like the bitch?" she rudely divulged.

Damon continued to snicker as he folded the paper, containing Crystal's number, and then put it in to his back pocket. Bonnie watched him carefully, her eyes thinned to a pinprick. "…so, you're just going to keep her number?"

"What?" he asked innocently, then flashed her a skeptical squint.

"What woman tries to hit on a man that's accompanied by another woman?"

"I guess-," he lulled. "Women like Crystal."

"Exactly, bitches like that. You know what—I think she's a racist. She saw you with a beautiful black woman, and she didn't like that one bit, so no, I don't think she's the right one for you Damon." She stressed convincingly with a roll of her neck as she sassily crossed her arms over her chest.

He loudly hooted at her remark.

He subsided, giving Bonnie a contemplative observe. "Do you remember Victoria? The girl you and Stefan said I shouldn't have let get away?" he recollected.

"Yeah, I remember. What about her?" she remembered, still peeved.

"She called me a couple of weeks ago. She wants us to get back together."

"No, she is all wrong for you."

"Oh, so now she's all wrong for me. Suddenly everyone is all wrong for me." He gave an incredulous neigh, throwing his hands up in the air. "When I was with Victoria, you kept going on and on about how right the two of us were for each other. Now suddenly no one is right for me."

"I think you need a woman that you can easily click with, and didn't you say she hated that you had your own business because you weren't spending enough time with her? No…just no. You can do so much better," she explained simply, then coolly took a sip of her drink.

Damon gave her an awestruck look. "Maybe you can be my girlfriend?" he kidded, waggling his brow, his eyes carried a mixture of seriousness and barely contained elation.

"Damon." She gleamed; her face turning scarlet. "What about Stefan?" she babbled demurely, giving an inattentive focus to her half full glass. "Oh, shit! Oh, shit!" Recognition dawned on her face. "Stefan is my husband! No, you can't be my boyfriend," she spastically explained, flabbergasted. "Omigod, I can't believe I said that." She grabbed her forehead, still shook.

"Am I interrupting something?" Crystal asked, irritation written on her face.

Bonnie shielded her face, pressing a hand to her temple, embarrassed.

"Uh, uh," Damon stuttered as he clumsily made room on the table for their food.

"Can I get you kind folks anything else?" Crystal inquired sarcastically.

"May…may—may I have some ketchup?" he gave a timid chortle.

Crystal cut her eyes, then furiously left the table. "Cheating bastards," she said under her breathe. Damon rapidly blinked and peeked at her suspiciously, speculating on if he heard her right.

"Omigod she heard us. She probably thinks we're sleeping together."

"No, she doesn't," he tried to reassure her.

Sadness overtook Bonnie's face.

"Bonnie, hey, I was kidding about you being my girlfriend." He reached his hand across the table and took hers. She starred down at his hand, touching hers; her eyes lost in thought as she ran the pad of her thumb over the back of his hand. She suddenly jerked away and then blankly looked out at the restaurant. She put her sights back on him. "I said, "What about Stefan," she recited robotically, then left.

"Bonnie," he called, then looked around at the other customers in the restaurant to make sure they weren't privy to what was happening at their table.

She marched back to the truck and tried to get inside. She kicked the tire once realizing the door was locked. Damon got 'to go' boxes for their food and settled their tab.

He looked desperately around when he didn't immediately see Bonnie standing outside the restaurant. "Bonnie?" he called as he walked speedily to the truck, his eyes fleetingly scanning the parking lot. He arrived at the driver's side of his truck to find her squatting down beside the truck, using it to shade her from the sun.

"Hey," he said winded.

"Hey," she echoed, then went around to the passenger side of the truck. Damon unlocked the doors with a click of the keypad. He sat the food down on the floor of the backseat and then ran around to open the door for Bonnie. She was already inside and putting on her seatbelt. He climbed inside, started the car, and then looked at her. Guilt written all over his face.

"That was a shitty thing I did to you in there. What I did makes me a not so great person, and a shitty brother, and a shitty best friend."

"Don't say that. You're a great brother, a great friend, and a great person." She gave him a tender half smile as she placed a hand on his thigh.

"…and what's so great about me?" he simpered.

"Everything about you is great, it's me that's the problem."

"Stop it right there. You're the best thing that ever happened to me. I love being around you. When I'm in a bad mood, you always help me to see the positive. You make me a better person. You are the only person that gets me."

Wonderment washed over her. "…and what I adore about you—you're ambitious. You're romantic. You know how to have fun. You're the perfect gentleman all the time. You're everything I want in a man. I mean, you're everything any woman would want in a man. Omigod," she paused. "You know what, let's just go." Her expression hardened as she turned her attention to the scene outside the window.

Damon on the other hand was transformed. His jaw dropped, and his eyes glinted with pleasure. Her words inflamed him with exhilaration.

.oOo.

Damon's anticipation to be around Bonnie, again, was through the roof. He left work and went to the market, picking up the ingredients to make her a fancy home cooked meal. He was slightly taken-aback when he picked her up to find that she wasn't as enthusiastic to be around him.

Bonnie was quiet the entire drive home. She rode in the passenger seat with her chin, resting in the palm of her hand, keeping her daze outside the car, and not once did she pay him any mind.

"You're pretty quiet. Are you thinking about Stefan?" he asked, one hand on the steering wheel, and the other resting on the armrest, imploring her hand to take his.

"What kind of wife am I?" she stated, her voice cracking.

"You're a great wife, Bonnie." He let out an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes back into his head.

"Great, I'm annoying you." Her demeanor now emulated his.

He gave a chagrined chuckle, and loudly exhaled. "You're not annoying me, but when you say things like that about yourself, then yes, I get annoyed." His jaw set as he grabbed the wheel a little tighter.

"Well, I'm sorry I made you mad."

"I'll get over it." His lips quirked up. He playfully nudged her shoulder. She looked at him, a cute, crooked grin, adorning her face. He winked.

"You are so sexy," she said, mesmerized. He began to wink incessantly; his expression getting sillier each time. She grabbed her abdomen, expressing pure amusement.

They finally arrived home. After stopping by Bonnie's place for more clothes, since she decided to extend her stay.

Bonnie rushed to her room, took a shower, and put on her pajamas. She was surprised to find that Damon had also showered. He was in the kitchen, shirtless, preparing their meal in a clean, new pair of jeans. She stood in the entrance way of the kitchen, her eyes glued to his brilliant and perfect figure. "I see you like to strip down after work, too." She smiled as she stood in the entranceway, laptop in hand.

"Yeah, I hate being in those sweaty and dirty clothes for too long." He grinned amiably. "Would you like a glass of wine while you wait for dinner?"

"Yeah, sure. What are you cooking?" she inquired as she sat down at the kitchen table.

"Steak, roasted Cauliflower with Caper Relish, and a side salad."

"Mm, sounds delicious."

He stopped what he was doing to pour her a glass of wine. She sipped leisurely on her drink as she watched that man move about the kitchen like a professional chief. She licked her lips, feathered her thin fingers over her slender neck, and massaged the table leg with her perfectly manicured toes. Her pupils blazed like torches as she longingly studied his brawny physique.

"Your jeans…," she stopped, then gulped down the remainder of her wine, then hiccupped. She became particularly tickled. She calmed to a definite seriousness as her elongated gawk fixed intensely on him. "Your jeans fit you much differently than Stefan's." She propped her chin between her finger and thumb, giving him a thorough and serious check out through a squinted gaze. All that was missing were glasses to give her ex-ray vision.

"Oh, yeah. How so?" he glanced down at his jeans with an examining eye and mindlessly cupped himself, and her lustful ogle glued in on the area that he tentatively handled with much care.

She swallowed the wetness collecting in her mouth once more. "You have really shapely legs, and—and, and your buttocks fill out the back of those jeans really well. You have a nice shape, and it really—really, really complements the-, the… the jeans," she jabbered unsophisticatedly.

"Cool! Thanks!" He jammed his hands down in to his front pockets and proudly smirked down at his jeans.

"You're welcome gorgeous." She flirted.

"…so, uh, have you heard from my brother?" Damon asked whilst raking the cauliflower over in to a bowl.

"No, not yet, I'm hoping to hear from him soon—hopefully." She narrowed her eyes in thought.

"Well, I'm sure he'll call. He knows how worried we are about him," he responded, his expression preoccupied as he carried dishes of food over to the table. He carefully set an eloquent table with that still brooding look in his eyes.

"The food looks so good." She noticed and admired what he had done.

"I hope it tastes as good as it looks," he gave a pensive chortle, still consumed by what he was doing.

He poured himself a tall glass of the red spirit, then fixed himself a plate. He picked up his napkin, revealing a word puzzle book. He opened the book and start working a puzzle, leaving his full plate untouched.

"I know you're not going to work on a crossword puzzle when I'm sitting across this table from you," she chided.

His fathoming spectacle flickered up to her. He then shook with fits of laughter.

"Oh. My. God. I have this fucking routine, and even when I have company, I can't break this old man humdrum." He smacked his head as the realization of what he had done embedded into his consciousness.

She joined him in laughter.

"Well, now you have me. There's no need to feel lonely anymore?" she said assuredly, the seriousness on her guise convinced him that her words were sure as their eyes locked on like magnets.

"My phone!" She ripped her penetrating gaze from his, startling him from their loving trance, which was brutally interrupted. "IT'S STEFAN!" She screamed.

Damon vaulted from the table, knocking his chair over in the process.

"He wants to skype." She responded as she frantically looked around for her computer.

Stefan's face popped up on the screen a few minutes after she set up her laptop.

"STEFAN!" Damon and Bonnie shouted simultaneously.

"Hey, it's my two-favorite people, under one roof, and half naked. Yay." He was being cynical. They ignored him as they were so happy to be seeing and speaking with him.

"I missed you! What the hell took you so long to contact us?" she said with a mixture of happiness and anger.

"Well, if I could've called you any sooner, you know I would've. Damn," he replied, a hint of irritation in his voice.

"Stop being so snarky." Damon teased, with a grin. Bonnie giggled.

"Sorry. It should be no surprise that I'm pissed for having to be here instead of with my family and friends."

"Well, no one told you-,"

"Shut up Damon. I don't want to hear the old, 'I told you so' speech," he snarled.

"All right. All right," Damon consented.

"I love you, Stefan. I've missed you the moment you got out the truck to get on that plane. Here." Bonnie kissed her fingers and pressed them to the camera.

"Oh, baby, I'd be the luckiest man in the universe if that did it for me."

"Really Stefan?" Damon warned, turning red.

"Okay. Okay. I've caught the kiss. It was sweet baby. Mwah!" he blew a kiss back, then pressed the imaginary caught kiss to his cheek, and closed his eyes, his face angelic.

"Okay, now that all the mushy stuff is out of the way. May I ask why you're not at home?" Stefan gave her a skeptical observe.

"I didn't want to be at home alone," she responded somberly.

"You could've stayed with your mom and dad. I'm sure they would've love to have you over."

"What, you don't want her around me?" Damon joshed, somewhat seriously.

"If we're being honest, not really." Stefan gave an apprehensive chuckle.

Damon clenched his jaw. Bonnie lowered her head in shame.

"If you want me to go home or to my parents' house, I will, but I think it's sad that you don't trust me."

"Did I say I didn't fucking trust you?" Stefan glowered.

"Damon, can you make like the wind and blow. I'm trying to have a conversation with my wife. She's my wife!" He raised his voice and enunciated with rage.

Damon shook his head, a sardonic smirk plastered across his face. "Okay, but before I go, I'm glad you made it there safe and sound, and I love you. Lastly, I'm sorry that you're such an asshole," he snarled and then stormed off to his room.

"…and put on a fucking shirt! No one wants to see your pale, no nipple having ass chest!" Stefan yelled, a vein in his neck popped.

"Fuck you, motherfucker!" Damon gave him the finger and held it flagrantly and proudly in the air as he stormed off.

Bonnie jumped at the sound of his door slamming shut.

"Fuck! Fuck! Damon, wait!" Stefan called out for his brother, but he was already gone.

"He's gone, Stefan. Why do you have to be so mean? We've been so worried about you, and this is how you act once you finally get the opportunity to reach out to us."

Stefan sat in silence. His countenance mortified as he mused over her words. "I'm sorry babe. I don't want to act and feel this way, but the regret I felt after I got on the plane for not starting a family with you and for not spending the entire weekend with you, and only you, really ate me up inside. If I don't make it home to you, I don't know what I'll do." His voice wavered through his declaration.

Her lips quivered with sadness as the puddles of distress that had welled up in her eyes cascaded down her cheeks like a waterfall.

Bonnie got to her knees, putting her face closer to the camera. "Stefan, you're going to make it home, and we will be better than before. Now be brave. Be brave for me baby," she cried.

He nibbled on his bottom lip, trying to extinguish the sobs, imploring to escape. He vehemently shook his head, then wiped his tears away. "Look—I've got to go. I can't let these bastards see me like this. I'll never live it down," he sniffled through a chuckle.

She laughed with him.

"When will I hear from you, again?"

"I'd like to call you every day, but it's quite expensive," he advised.

"I don't care how expensive it is. I want to hear from you every day."

"We have bills baby, and plus the lines to call home and skype are pretty damn long." He laughed. "I'll call you once a week. How about that? Will that work?"

She vehemently nodded. The corners of her lips curving up into a loving glimmer. "That's perfect, and you better not miss a beat.

"I won't, and Bonnie, tell Damon that I'm sorry, and that I love him so much. I'm jealous because he gets to have your company, and your touches. I wish that it was me, who was there with you?"

"He knows baby, but I will tell him. The last thing I want is for you two to be angry with each other."

"You don't have to tell me. I heard him." Damon was standing at the end of the hall, brooding, and listening in on their conversation. He came and sat down beside Bonnie. He was now wearing a shirt and a housecoat over his t-shirt. "I love you little bro. You'll be home before you know it. Don't give up, and don't be angry. I'm proud of you for serving our country. I'm proud of you for doing what I was too chicken shit to do." His body shook with a hardy chuckle.

Stefan happily sniveled. "I will. I love you, too. Take care of our girl."

"I will," he smiled.

"Goodbye. I love you guys." Stefan abruptly ended the call, not giving them a chance to say anything more.

The screen went black. Bonnie broke down in tears. Damon scooped her up in his arms and held her tight in his loving and protective hold.

"I can't lose him. I can't," she avowed, still bawling her eyes out.

"You're not going to lose him," he assured, closing his eyes, and pressing her body so close, so close it was as if he were trying to push her inside of him.

"If I could take your pain away, I would," he whispered, his lips brushing as gentle as a quill against her warm skin.

She cried, and they cuddled, caressed, and tenderly kissed each other's forehead and cheeks. Her hands strongly skated over his hard chest. He stroked, gripped, and kneaded her back, the feeling ever so tantalizing and pleasurable trough her thin night shirt.

She squeezed her thighs tighter, feeling an urge that wasn't there when she began crying through the unfathomable pain she felt after disconnecting with her husband.

"I can't lose him," she echoed once more, their eyes locked in a mutual empathizing regard like so many times before. "I love you, Damon." she gave him a chaste kiss, and pulled at a snail's pace away from the osculation.

"I love you more than you'll ever know B," he declared in a low, husky voice, then reciprocated her affections with the same pure kiss, and the same lack of will to pull away. They looked at each other and smiled, and he cuddled her, again.

17


End file.
